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The why I think is quite clear from an evolutionary standpoint. Whithout self consciousness all our actions would only be triggered by surrounding events, hungr
by Puts 9y ago
The why I think is quite clear from an evolutionary standpoint. Whithout self consciousness all our actions would only be triggered by surrounding events, hungry - eat, tired - sleep and so on. But with the ability to reason about our self we can for example find and cure diseases long before we feel any pain which is an evolutionary benefit.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- sjeohp 9y agoIs it so clear? For one thing consciousness is not necessarily synonymous with the ability to reason. Observe your own consciousness; observe the generation of each individual thought and experience. Are you conscious of their origin or do they simply arise in a stream from the darkness of your subconscious? If the later is true (IE if your subconscious is doing the real work), then is consciousness essential to reason or merely coincidental?
- antonvs 9y ago> But with the ability to reason about our self The ability to reason about ourselves does not automatically imply consciousness. Programs can be written that reason about themselves, but we have very little reason to believe they are conscious.