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I only read the article so my understanding of Jayne is limited to that, but he doesn't seen to be saying that a mental model of the world is what gives us cons

I only read the article so my understanding of Jayne is limited to that, but he doesn't seen to be saying that a mental model of the world is what gives us consciousness. I think many animals have a mental model of the world, with some of the most intelligent animals having a very sophisticated model. My understanding (of Jayne) is that humans have consciousness because they are able to use language to further contemplate and analyze a mental model of the world using metaphors and analogies. One of the things that actually struck me about this theory was that it really boosts the idea that we should respect the minds of non-human animal mind because they may not experience the world differently than we do.

angstrom 8y ago
The bias about intelligence modeling on human intelligence is certainly one of familiarity. Other intelligence models that we can observe like cephalopods are about as foreign as you can imagine on the animalia tree of life. Who can say if some cephalopod aren't capable of more diverse communication via color fluctuations/rhythms and postures than we are with our vocal cords and body language? At some point a human form of self awareness could have formed, but I think the key is not triggered by physiology alone. Feral humans exist and it's important to understand that there is an observed malleability of the mind which tapers with age. Such individuals have been found and in some cases rehabilitated into what we consider functioning, self-aware, cognitively capable humans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child#Documented_cases_of_feral_children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child#Documented_cases_o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period Edit: It reminded me of this story I saw recently about a girl neglected until age 7. Today she is like a 2 year-old in a 20 year-old's body. Keep in mind there is nothing physically wrong with her other than neglect. Consciousness is emergent behavior. Having the physical elements alone is not enough. http://www.tampabay.com/projects/girl-in-the-window/neglect-feral-child-ten-years-later/ http://www.tampabay.com/projects/girl-in-the-window/neglect-...

angstrom 8y ago

The bias about intelligence modeling on human intelligence is certainly one of familiarity. Other intelligence models that we can observe like cephalopods are about as foreign as you can imagine on the animalia tree of life. Who can say if some cephalopod aren't capable of more diverse communication via color fluctuations/rhythms and postures than we are with our vocal cords and body language? At some point a human form of self awareness could have formed, but I think the key is not triggered by physiology alone. Feral humans exist and it's important to understand that there is an observed malleability of the mind which tapers with age. Such individuals have been found and in some cases rehabilitated into what we consider functioning, self-aware, cognitively capable humans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child#Documented_cases_of_feral_children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_child#Documented_cases_o... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_period Edit: It reminded me of this story I saw recently about a girl neglected until age 7. Today she is like a 2 year-old in a 20 year-old's body. Keep in mind there is nothing physically wrong with her other than neglect. Consciousness is emergent behavior. Having the physical elements alone is not enough. http://www.tampabay.com/projects/girl-in-the-window/neglect-feral-child-ten-years-later/ http://www.tampabay.com/projects/girl-in-the-window/neglect-...