> That the impulse to see consciousness in a thing is being used by charlatan is unfortunate, but has no bearing on the actual truth of whether the thing actual

> That the impulse to see consciousness in a thing is being used by charlatan is unfortunate, but has no bearing on the actual truth of whether the thing actually is conscious. It has quite a bit of bearing, given that the reason we have discussions of consciousness at all in our own perception (real or imagined) of our own awareness being conscious. This arises from the very same brain / self that is innately driven to pareidolia. Literally the mechanisms that let us perceive consciousness arising (or project consciousness onto) other humans are the same ones responsible for pareidolia.