5 ms·
I sometimes wonder if other humans have an inner life like me, it's very tempting for me to project my inner world onto other humans.
by thatusertwo 10y ago
I sometimes wonder if other humans have an inner life like me, it's very tempting for me to project my inner world onto other humans.
- pessimizer 10y agoWe don't have any more evidence that other animals are conscious than we have that other people are conscious. As far as evidence is concerned, your cat is no more conscious than I am. Are logfiles enough to count as an inner life? We have clear evidence of those.
- maxerickson 10y agoI think it's the other way around. We have plenty of evidence that humans are doing something different than most creatures and have trouble articulating exactly what it is.
- pessimizer 10y agoI don't think we do. The only evidence I have that other people are conscious is by analogy; because I assume that whatever conscious is, I am, and other people seem like me.
- maxerickson 10y agoYou've skipped my point though, I'm saying that your definition of conscious isn't a useful articulation of the difference, so of course it doesn't yield a satisfying result. Then compare the life's work of Picasso to the life's work of most cats. Art is evocative. Cats poop a lot.
- Nursie 10y agoCompare it to the life's work of most humans. Humans poop a lot, I'd guess even more than cats...
- maxerickson 10y agoSee, it's hard to articulate.
- stale2002 10y agoI mean, we are just slightly more evolved primates. What's the difference between a 2 year old child and an adult chimp? The chimp is probably smarter even.
- pixl97 10y agoI am a philosophical zombie.