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The alternative is to think of each cell as an individual conscious intelligent being which knows what it is doing. It knows how to modify its own DNA, and does

The alternative is to think of each cell as an individual conscious intelligent being which knows what it is doing. It knows how to modify its own DNA, and does it creatively, similar to a programmer, just a very smart one. Our sense of "I" that encompasses all cells in the body is an illusion - this "I" is really the consciousness of a single specialized (and appropriately zombified) cell. Every organism is a symbiosis of conscious beings. This doesn't explain where the "very first cell" comes from, but I find the theory fascinating anyway. Unfortunately those who share this view are not very vocal about it (who wants to be called a crackpot? :)

jcims 8y ago
Yeah that's not far from the other idea I'm entertaining, lol. Not necessarily that each cell is conscious or intelligent, but that there are creative mechanisms at play that we don't perceive. Ones that guide or 'program' evolution of DNA constructively rather than randomly. To your point, the idea of a monolithic 'I' that represents the ~50 trillion cells in my body is kind of ridiculous, particularly when roughly half of them don't even share my DNA. In that same vein, it has always weirded me out that we don't intuitively know how our bodies work...to the point that I even began thinking of the human consciousness as kind of virus that infected the germ line of primates with this extra meat in the noggin that intercepts the senses and controls the body. Anyway I just need to learn more about all of this stuff before I put any real stock into my harebrained ideas.
- resource0x 8y ago
  I think every cell (and every bacteria) has this capacity, but higher intelligence can be disabled by some molecular switch (other senses cannot be disabled, they are the property of life) . The one that carries the illusion of human "I" is not particularly "advanced", but again, it's just a matter of some extra axon or something :). I'm pretty sure humans were designed by bacteria (or their descendants), but our species plays very modest role in the overall scheme of things. We are certainly not the ones calling the shots :) You can start here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBGt5OeAQFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBGt5OeAQFk

jcims 8y ago

Yeah that's not far from the other idea I'm entertaining, lol. Not necessarily that each cell is conscious or intelligent, but that there are creative mechanisms at play that we don't perceive. Ones that guide or 'program' evolution of DNA constructively rather than randomly. To your point, the idea of a monolithic 'I' that represents the ~50 trillion cells in my body is kind of ridiculous, particularly when roughly half of them don't even share my DNA. In that same vein, it has always weirded me out that we don't intuitively know how our bodies work...to the point that I even began thinking of the human consciousness as kind of virus that infected the germ line of primates with this extra meat in the noggin that intercepts the senses and controls the body. Anyway I just need to learn more about all of this stuff before I put any real stock into my harebrained ideas.

resource0x 8y ago
I think every cell (and every bacteria) has this capacity, but higher intelligence can be disabled by some molecular switch (other senses cannot be disabled, they are the property of life) . The one that carries the illusion of human "I" is not particularly "advanced", but again, it's just a matter of some extra axon or something :). I'm pretty sure humans were designed by bacteria (or their descendants), but our species plays very modest role in the overall scheme of things. We are certainly not the ones calling the shots :) You can start here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBGt5OeAQFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBGt5OeAQFk