| | In replying to Ed, I wrote, "...but the term 'consciousness' is not a verb; it's a noun that refers to state of awareness." Ed replied, Aueoui contraire (forgive my poor French here), consciousness is a "power" (a power of conceptual awareness). When we use that power -- we survive. Consciousness is identification -- and identification is a verb. So consciousness is a verb. Ed, this is funny, because it's something that everyone on this list should already know, yet you're arguing for what is obviously and plainly false, as if you know what you're talking about. Don't they teach grammar in schools anymore?! I guess not. I know this stuff, because I'm old enough to have been taught it. Ed, consciousness is a noun and so is identification. You need to get yourself a book in basic grammar, and learn the parts of speech. A noun is the name of something: an object, a group, person, place, quality, state, process or idea. Examples are: book, team, Edward, France, identification, consciousness, enjoyment, freedom, thought. A verb is a word that describes the action or being of a subject: Examples are: read, play, visit, identify, enjoy, choose, think, are, is. Every sentence contains a subject and a verb. The subject is a noun; the verb is what the subject does or is. A sentence expresses a complete thought in which someone or something does something or is something. (Btw, it's "au contraire.")
I wrote, "Granted, the state of awareness involves a process, but a process can still take the form of a noun. The term 'exercise' refers to a process, but, as a part of speech, it's still a noun." Ed replied, Oh. So exercise is a some-thing (to be differentiated from other existing things)? Is that what you are saying? Because it's one thing (and not other things) -- it's a noun??? I don't agree. Is swimming a noun? I love it! Ed, you need to learn what you don't know. Yes, swimming can be a noun, if it is a verbal, which is verb form used as another part of speech, in this case, a noun. Verbals ending in "ing" are called "gerunds." Gerunds are always nouns. In the sentence, "Swimming is fun," "swimming," the subject of the sentence, is a gerund and therefore a noun. Now, obviously, if the sentence is, "Ed went swimming," then "swimming" is part of the verb "went swimming," and therefore does not function as a gerund. Do you see the difference?
I wrote, "The term 'consciousness' refers to any state of awareness no matter how primitive (insects are conscious)." Ed replied, Insects respond to sensed stimuli -- and that's it. Those little critters don't really "know" anything. I didn't say they know anything; I said they are conscious. I mean, they're like Venus Fly Traps -- only with vast motility and complex, though pre-programmed, behaviors. If you've seen one insect (of a given species) -- you've seen them all. They will all act the same way in the same circumstance -- precisely because they AREN'T conscious. Ed, all sentient beings are conscious, which is what it means to be sentient. The science of entomology recognizes even insects as having brains and nervous systems, as the highly acclaimed book, The Neurobiology of an Insect Brain by M. Burrows of Cambridge University demonstrates. A reviewer gives the following synopsis:
"This book reviews the advances in insect neurobiology in the last two decades and highlights the contributions of this field to our understanding of how nervous systems function in general. By concentrating largely on one insect, the locust, this book unravels the mechanisms by which a brain integrates the vast array of sensory information to generate movement and behavior. The author describes the structure and development of the insect brain, detailing the cellular properties of insect neurons and the way they are altered by neurosecretors. Insect movements are fully analyzed at the cellular level to illustrate particular features of integrative processing. Richly illustrated, this volume emphasizes how the brain of an insect can be an informative model for defining basic neural mechanisms, shared by other animals and man."
Even insects as small as fruit flies have brains, as an article in the February, 2002 issue of Nature entitled "Standard Fly Brain Sized Up" makes clear. There's even a picture of it, in case you're interested in actually seeing one.
- Bill
(Edited by William Dwyer
on 6/06, 2:17am)
(Edited by William Dwyer
on 6/06, 2:19am)
I removed "are conscious" and "is thoughtful" from the examples of verbs, because it is only the words "are" and "is" that are verbs. "Conscious" and "thoughtful" are adjectives modifying nouns or pronouns. :-P
(Edited by William Dwyer
on 6/06, 10:57am)
|
|
