h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dennet, Hawkins R4 Start The Week 'Listen Again' http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/starttheweek.shtml

Why triple? Because they also had Oxon, who manages to talk to them quite sensibly.

My favourite quote was from Dawkins, refering to Dennet's book:
'Your book manages to engage with the religious...which is quite an effective tactic. I'll have to try it myself.'

Dawkins spoke in Dublin several years ago and I went along with my brother Semi-recumbent. I regret not having taken the opportunity to ask him "How would you answer the accusation that you are a closet Jesuit, knowing as we do from history that the way to revive and strengthen religion is to stamp on it energetically?"

I think Dennet's maybe bringing him around to that way of thinking. He's showing occasional signs of mellowing a little recently and of realising that critical engagement can be more effective than outright mockery.

...although it's hard not to, huh?

Thank you for linking me that excellent programme Edward. Just the stuff! Oxon said a lot of good things and I wish there had been time for more, to find out just where the difference of approach makes itself manifest.

At the moment I see such things by analogy with Conway's Game of Life. Do fliers and eaters and such objects exist? On one level, no; only individual cells reacting in a predetermined way. On another level, yes; there they are, another one bites the dust.

Similarly, the business of consciousness; one could imagine the world existing without consciousness, with automaton animals doing only what they are programmed to do. And everything in the world would look and behave exactly as it does now, including you and me. I think this is Turing's point. Consciousness cannot be detected (even with a blow-drier).

I'm sure I must have pointed you towards Villayanur Ramachandran before: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2003/
Apart from anything else, he has an absolutely delicious radio voice.

His train of thought seems to start with the fact that out neurones are all convoluted and interconnected, hence synaestesis - sseing music as colours, etc. This means that the sensory and processing activity in our brains generates a whole slew of epiphenomena which are not really to do with its main business. The outcome is a sort of level of abstraction which we call 'consciousness' - and it also allows us to develop language.

I've probably not explained it very well. Have a listen.

You did and I did listen to it a long time back. I was not so delightfully impressed, as it covered ground familiar to me from Dennett and Dawkins and Pinker, not any better in my opinion.