> Furthermore, I strongly suspect and assume that other human beings are conscious, but I cannot verify this scientifically (i.e. measure it somehow). I don't

> Furthermore, I strongly suspect and assume that other human beings are conscious, but I cannot verify this scientifically (i.e. measure it somehow). I don't think this is fully true, if you really examine this belief. You do have certain criteria that you use to determine, at least quasi-scientifically, if you should believe that some other entity is conscious or not. You say you believe "humans beings are conscious", but I would bet you don't believe that dead human beings are conscious, or that fertilized eggs are conscious. You may or may not believe that they are still conscious while under general anaesthesia, or while they are in clinical death. You may very much believe that certain things that are not human beings are also conscious - maybe dogs, or even all mammals, or even all vertebrates. Your criteria probably start from the initial premise: I am conscious. Then, you apply a simple argument: I perform certain actions and/or display certain behaviors, and I have this conscious motivation for them. This other being performs these behaviors very similarly, so they probably have a similar consciousness motivating them to do so. You then test this assumption, and come up with more refined observations (e.g. not every similarity is equally related to consciousness - for example, you move around, and shadows move around, but it seems unlikely that shadows have consciousness so perhaps "move around" is not a good test for consciousness).