Hacker News Reader

I can recommend Being No One, by Thomas Metzinger, for essays.

For sci-fi, have a look at Blindsight, by Peter Watts (for free on his website: Https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.html)

View on HN

Thanks for the recommendations!

I have read Thomas Metzinger's Ego Tunnel (2009), but as far as I understand it, he takes on a naturalist standpoint, and assumes that consciousness arises from that.

I prefer to take a radical agnostic point of view, where consciousness does not even have meaning outside of those who experience it. Implying that "meaning" or "reasoning" make no sense universally.

You just communicated meaning to me. Defining “outside of those [plural] who experience it” is the tricky part.

"meaning" and "reasoning" have nothing inherently to do with consciousness at all.

That depends on your philosophical outlook. Existentialism and phenomenology both seem to think that meaning requires consciousness. I personally think that there is little or no meaning outside humans (or similar entities).

Unless I'm missing something, perhaps you care to elaborate?

Thanks for the recs,

Mindware by Andy Clark is also a great book on these topics.

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/mindware-97801998281...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com