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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Arthur Pewtey)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Science & subjective experience
Message-ID: <1102@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Jun-85 13:50:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1102
Posted: Tue Jun 18 13:50:45 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Jun-85 05:59:14 EDT
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Organization: The Chartered Accountants Who Want to Be Lion Tamers Association
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Keywords: Yes, frogs!

>>>>>    Individual subjective experience is by definition external to
>>>>>    the universe of science, since the scientific method involves
>>>>>    by definition phenomena that are verifiable by independent
>>>>>    observers.

>>>>Does this mean that the social sciences aren't sciences?

>>>No, it only limits them.

>>It seems to limit psychology drastically.  I think your comment (>>>>)
>>was an overstatement at best.  For one thing, I think it may in principle
>>be possible to explain/correlate subjective experience with neurobiological
>>events.

>     Not at all! 
>     
>     A great deal, if not most, of modern psychology is a `science' by
>     my definition (>>>>).
> 
>     Any attempt to correlate objective brain activity with subjective mental
>     experience includes the RESPONSES of those subjects whose brains are
>     being monitored.
> 
>     Now the subjects' responses are physical events, just as is the
>     correlated neurobiological activity -- all pure objective science.

Wait a minute!!  Let's get our perspectives straight here.  The *study* of
how subjective experience relates to actual brain activity and/or perceptions
(and distortions thereof) of the real world BY the brain IS of course a
science (if done rigorously and using a scientific method that avoids
subjective preconceptions).  This does NOT make subjective experience (or
rather, its use in serious study) equivalent to scientific evidence.  Unless
we could demonstrate the actual correlation between the subjective experience
and the actual physical occurrences (the difference between what is perceived
and what happens), we cannot use it in any serious study.
-- 
"There!  I've run rings 'round you logically!"
"Oh, intercourse the penguin!"			Rich Rosen    ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr