Thoughts, Ideas, where do they come from?

[Specforces]

I notice with real careful observation that we are merely observers of our thoughts. We observe these streams of thoughts, choose between them but aren't actually thought. We aren't really a thinking being but an observer of thoughts.

I think that our senses are very important in concept formation. Consider an individual with no senses who is completely isolated. Would this individual have any ideas? Could it have a concept of self? It took Hellen Keller many years to form concepts. Before this she was almost animal-like in behavior.

We take the information given to us by our sense perception and through reflection form ideas. I think it is our ability to reflect that allows us to assert that we are thinking things. For instance, I can do much more than observe. I can postulate, hypothesize, predict, etc. Thus it seems that our thoughts and concept of self may have originated from our senses that are intimately tied with our intellect and ability to reflect. From these primitive thoughts we can build complexes and form further concepts and reflect upon them in turn.

I don't really see the need to postulate an infinite being here, at least not for the origins of thought. Perhaps you may wish to question what happens to the objects of perception when we no longer percieve them, etc.?

Any thoughts?