CastleBravo Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I was introduced to Dennett by a co-worker a few years back and started Consciousness Explained, but never finished it. In the opening, he presents a very good refutation of Descartes "Evil Demon" (also known as the Brain in the Vat), but that is as far as I've gotten. What do the members of this forum think about him and his works? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shabby Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I am a huge Dennett fan. In my opinion he's a better version of Dawkins, and definitely worth checking out more in depth. What works have you dipped your feet into? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastleBravo Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I've read the first few pages of Consciousness Explained, which I really liked. I've also watched the majority of his videos on YouTube. I really like the way he looks at religion and I want to read "Breaking the Spell". Dawkins is another one I've been wanting to read, but hes definitely closer to the bottom of the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEgoist Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I don't want to judge him scientifically; I'm certainly not qualified. However, philosophically, he is a mixed bag. First thing that comes to my mind was an explicit attack on Rand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shabby Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I don't want to judge him scientifically; I'm certainly not qualified. However, philosophically, he is a mixed bag. First thing that comes to my mind was an explicit attack on Rand. Really? What attack was this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lonely Rationalist Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Really? What attack was this? He wrote this: Rand: An angry tirade occasioned by mistaking philosophical disagreement for a personal attack and/or evidence of unspeakable moral corruption. "When I questioned his second premise, he flew into a rand." Also, to attack or stigmatise through a rand. "When I defended socialised medicine, I was randed as a communist." -http://www.philosophicallexicon.com/#R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastleBravo Posted October 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 Interesting. Many people hate Rand, but I do not see it as a viable reason to discredit them entirely. I suppose I'll really have to read on my feet this time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 He wrote this: That is interesting, but I don't get the full sense of his evaluation of Rand from that. Is he criticizing an someone who claimed to be an Objectivist, or was he criticizing Ayn Rand? It's too fragmented for me to think much of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEgoist Posted October 16, 2009 Report Share Posted October 16, 2009 That isn't the quote I remember, actually. I looked for it but couldn't find it. Someone showed me it in a book.pdf file on chat awhile ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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