Open Regular’s Table #∞
13 November 2024
Description
The regular’s table is an open, regular philosophy/science dinner.
This time, we have three topics:
The first is a discussion of an outside lecture on Monday, 11.11.24, in German*, by S. Mebs — who calls himself a Kohlenstoff-Radikalinski.
We will discuss whether consciousness can only be developed by carbon-based life forms, which have no alternative on this planet, in the Goldilocks zone — at least as far as we know. It is even more unlikely, given our current understanding of life, to find it off-planet, despite speculations about silicon as an alternative for non-Goldilocks-zone planets. However, silicon does not have the chemical properties to qualify, at least not in long chains.
“Silicon, atomic number 14, more than twice the size of carbon, shares a group in the periodic table with carbon, can also form four valence bonds, and also bonds to itself readily, though generally in the form of crystal lattices […].”
(Wikipedia on carbon-based life; see also the crystallography lecture in the PhenCoCo archive)
Where, then, and how, can consciousness be ‘produced’ by something other than a carbon-based life form?
Is it unlikely — or quite possible — to find consciousness in material environments other than carbon?
Any explanation will, of course, have to integrate the debate surrounding the computational theory of mind. Let’s see how it goes.
‘Consciousness’ is a term for human capacities to phenomenologically feel as well as to rationally deliberate at the same time, without any scientist ever having been able to satisfactorily separate the postulated entities of body and mind in their explanations.
In light of current events, it may also be worth reminding ourselves that the term refers to the metaphorical inner voice guiding us in moral situations.
With the second topic, we will touch on the US elections and the blatant criminal who was voted in as president on Tuesday.
Third, we are also happy to discuss vampirology, as introduced by the Halloween lecture at Humboldt University. This includes “The Leipzig Vampire Debate.”
Let’s not forget to have some fun.
Note on topic combinations:
The regular’s tables are philosophical/scientific dinners open to everyone, and all topics are suggestions. Still, converging on topics beforehand tends to lead to better discussions. Importance and current events also shape what people want to talk about. Thus, we have three very different impulses for the upcoming dinner.
Speakers
Dinner discussions: Café Marral, Torstr.222, 10115 Berlin