Egnor. Hurrah!!!

Michael Egnor is at it again. I've actually come to look forward to his writing for the Discovery Institute. They are all so wonderfully bizarre. And lacking in logic. In his latest attempt, again talking about altruism and the brain, he yet again manages to support dualism while at the same time claiming that it is impossible. He also does one better. And this one is nothing short of insane. The article argues against P.Z. Myers' claim that altruism actually resides in the brain. Says Egnor:

If altruism is located in the brain, then some changes in location of the brain must, to use a mathematical term, 'map' to changes in altruism. That is, if you move your brain, you move your altruism in some discernable way. And 'moving' altruism means changing its properties. It won't do to say that moving altruism changes its property of 'location,' because 'location' of altruism is the issue. That begs the question.

No, really. He really wrote this. This is Egnor's argument. Moving something means changing it's properties. And not the properties of location. You move your altruism in some discernable way. Not from A to B.

Egnor continues:

But how does moving your brain change your altruism? ...If you walk around the room does your altruism change in a reproducible way? If you stand up, is your altruism different that when you're sitting?

For altruism to be located in the brain, changes in altruism must map, in some reproducible way, to changes in brain location. ... Altruism is completely independent of location, so it can't be located in the brain, or anywhere. It can't be 'located' at all.

:-o :-o :-o

Yes, his argument is that if altruism was located in the brain, then your altruism should change as your brain moves. :-o :-o :-o

Sorry, I can't really say anything more about this. It's pure insanity.

Added: P.Z Myers has also taken apart Egnor's claims at Pharyngula.