Dear Frank and Stephen,
I had a look at some of the scientific ideas about mind a few years
ago. My favorite quote was the definition of consciousness in the
International Dictionary of Psychology: "Consciousness is a
fascinating but elusive phenomenon; it is impossible to specify what
it is, what it does, or why it evolved. Nothing worth reading has
been written about it" (cited in Crick, 1994, vii).
Or philosopher of mind, Collin McGinn writes in his summary of the
different ideas: "The head spins in theoretical disarray; no
explanatory model suggests itself; bizarre ontologies loom. There is
a feeling of intense confusion, but no clear idea of where the
confusion lies" (1993, ).
Robert
In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Frank Kuan <fcckuan@...> wrote:

>
> > > > How many cittas or what fraction of a citta can
> > one firing neuron
> > > > produce, according to neurophysiology?
>
> Also, I'd like to point out from the scientific point
> of view, based on the chemical/electrical speed of the
> neuron firing, and the number of neurons in an average
> human brain, scientists are rather baffled how the
> brain is able to think/mentally process as much as it
> does, with as much complexity as it does, because the
> speed and number of neurons firing can not support
> that kind of sophisticated mental process. So the
> point is, since there is still so much that western
> science doesn't even know yet about mental process
> that it's not really meaningful to compare citta to
> neuron firing speed.
>
> -fk
>
>
>
>
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