> Surely you agree that not only thermostats are not conscious, but also simple neural networks are not Sure - there is a difference between merely being cold

> Surely you agree that not only thermostats are not conscious, but also simple neural networks are not Sure - there is a difference between merely being cold and also being aware of being cold. A piece of ice (or a cold thermometer for that matter) can be cold, but to experience being cold - to be aware/conscious of it - requires some minimal level of cognitive apparatus ("a reasonably complex perceptual psychology") to process those sensory inputs and contrast them to the differing sensation of not being cold and be able to think about it! There is some evidence, such as "blindsight" (ability to see without being aware of it - a loss of visual consciousness) that consciousness may not only require the mental apparatus to process a sensory input, but may also require specific neural pathways (which may be missing, or damaged) to gain access to specific internal neural state in the first place. It's difficult to know exactly where the line is - which animals do have a sufficiently complex brain to able to introspect on and experience their own state, but clearly simple neural nets (e.g. anything without feedback paths) don't, and simple animals like insects don't either.