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Thank you so much for your post!

As always, I find myself agreeing with you. It is very difficult for those who sustain a metaphysically naturalist worldview to waive off strong determinism, which is the polar opposite of free will. IMHO, it is a poison pill to the argument for atheism.

Likewise, lowering the bar in the definition of free will to nominal anticipation has the effect of equalizing mankind to rodents in sentience. Of course, animal rights activists are all over this looking for lawyers to defend "animal rights."

Enter Stage Right - A Journal of Modern Conservatism 5/1/00 Roger Banks “Steven M. Wise's Rattling the cage: Towards legal rights for animals has arrived in stores at a time when the idea of animal rights is slithering its way almost imperceptibly from various fringe groups into a respectable faction. Contributing to the momentum of support is wide-spread confusion about what it would mean for animals to have legal rights. In particular, many who support the movement do not distinguish between the notion of "animal rights," on the one hand, and laws enacted to prevent abuse and cruelty on the other. Some who recognize this distinction have interposed only impassive resistance: having grasped the deep flaws in the case for animal rights, they find it hard to take seriously.”

Lew Rockwell.com 7/25/00 Tibor Machan “A recent Rivera Live television talk program hosted several animal rights advocates who were given considerable air time defending their position in both analytical and emotion terms... There was a law professor, for example, who raised some questions but gave no clear cut argument against the idea that animals have rights akin to human beings, the position widely shared about those who got nearly all the air time on the program.”

We are awash in an seemingly endless sea of wave phenomenon. Not only that, but in the physical sense that is what we are. Add to this the effect of virtual particles, super strings and extra dimensions. I don't see how anyone could doubt whether wave phenomenon has bearing on consciousness!

I don't think nature cares much about our politics in formulating it's laws. Animal rights s a difficult issue, even for conservatives. There is another FR thread currently discussing cat health. Even conservatives get mushy about their pets. If they thought cats were mentally the equivalent of bricks, they would not have these concerns.

I don't see how anyone could doubt whether wave phenomenon has bearing on consciousness! ...assuming you have a quantifiable mental phenomenon that requires an explanation, and you have a verifiable interaction between wave phenomena and the mental phenomena. Where is the transmitter, the receiver, the demonstrated interaction?