RJG wrote:P1. Without memory there could be no recognition.
P2. Without recognition, there could be no consciousness (nothing to know).
C1. Therefore, without memory, there could be no consciousness
C2. Therefore, consciousness requires memory.
mystery wrote:Why is P2 true?
P2 is true because if we recognize nothing (i.e. are incapable of recognition) then we know nothing; are conscious of nothing. We are blank slates.
Without recognition, we would have no thoughts (...i.e. if we did, we wouldn't know it). -- not only could we not know/recognize that thoughts (monologues) were playing out in our head, but we also could not know/recognize the language in which these thoughts were speaking.
Without recognition, we would have no sensory experiences (...i.e. if we did, we wouldn't know it). -- not only could we not know/recognize that we were having bodily experiences (sensory experiences; physical bodily reactions), but we also could not know/recognize the different types of sensations.
Without recognition, we are blank slates; unable to know anything; conscious of nothing.
**************
Nick_A wrote:The consensus of opinion is that Man creates consciousness through memory.
I think it more accurate to say that Man "experiences" consciousness (aka "recognition"), through memory.
Consciousness is the experience of
recognition, made possible by
memory. -- without memory, there could be no recognition, and without recognition there could be no consciousness.