It seems obvious to a modern, well-educated observer that Michael Graziano is right — that the world is purely material, and that thoughts and perceptions and the web of these we call “consciousness” are a pleasing delusion. But this stance fails to notice that thoughts and perceptions are the very basis with which we can come to such a point of view at all. This philosophy is a bit like a teenager who declares independence while he is fed, housed, and otherwise sustained by his parents.
It seems obvious to a modern, well-educated observer that Michael Graziano is right — that the world is purely material, and that thoughts and perceptions and the web of these we call “consciousness” are a pleasing delusion. But this stance fails to notice that thoughts and perceptions are the very basis with which we can come to such a point of view at all. This philosophy is a bit like a teenager who declares independence while he is fed, housed, and otherwise sustained by his parents.