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I highly recommend the book "Other Minds" by Godfrey-Smith, it has changed my view on this topic. I understood that consciousness is a scale. Humans have "a lot
by iammjm 3y ago
I highly recommend the book "Other Minds" by Godfrey-Smith, it has changed my view on this topic. I understood that consciousness is a scale. Humans have "a lot" of it, chimpanzees a bit less, dogs even fewer, but we all have a first person perspective of what it is to be us. I don't know where the scale begins or ends, but I am sure we are not that unique. I assume the capacity for consciousness has plenty to do with hardware and it's capacity for complex operations, so I don't know if all living things (like bacteria, or ants) "have it". Other point: at some moments I feel like I am less conscious, just going through my motions like an automaton, or daydreaming. And then sometimes, while meditating or under very intense stress, I feel hyper conscious. Fascinating topic for sure
- Mattasher 3y agoShameless self promo: I had a great discussion with Peter Godfrey-Smith about his books and consciousness for my podcast https://mattasher.com/2021/04/22/ep-33-peter-godfrey-smith-on-sea-life-and-the-evolution-of-consciousness/ https://mattasher.com/2021/04/22/ep-33-peter-godfrey-smith-o... My own leaning is towards a panpsychist view, in which case the idea of animal consciousness as a binary, or even a scalar, makes no sense. It's multifaceted and complex and built from overlapping (resonant?) pieces. For example, human tongues can act like they have a mind of their own just like the arms of an octopus.
- WhrRTheBaboons 3y agodon’t octopusses’ arms literally have a mind of their own? they all have an individual brain, right?
- hulitu 3y ago> I understood that consciousness is a scale. Humans have "a lot" of it, Not all humans though. (see Kissinger)
- sn9 3y agoI think you're confusing consciousness with conscience.