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What defines something's "moral value"? What is "suffering"? Is it not just a signal that triggers certain pathways in the brain? Could it not be built/simulat
by FinanceAnon 5y ago
What defines something's "moral value"?
What is "suffering"? Is it not just a signal that triggers certain pathways in the brain? Could it not be built/simulated? Is suffering necessary for something to be considered conscious?
What does it mean to "experience" something?
- fighterpilot 5y agoExperience = qualia. No, suffering isn't a necessary condition for consciousness. We can make rats euphoric in a lab with electrodes and they are presumably conscious despite a lack of suffering. Suffering is just one example of a conscious state. On the question of moral value, we aren't going to resolve that here. But if anything has moral value, it ought to be consciousness. That is what most people value in their personal ethics and relationships.
- FinanceAnon 5y agoI don't think human-defined moral value has much to do with consciousness. A sacred object (or animal), might have a high moral value in certain cultures, but it doesn't mean it's highly conscious.