What Is Your Personal Philosophy?

No. I believe only animals have it. Since animals have to be proactive in order to survive.

Plants, microorganisms, and non-animal lifeforms are more reactionary.

 

I'm no biology expert, but didn't we just evolve from cells? If so, where do we first get consciousness?

 

How can we know that consciousness hasn't been around since the start of the universe (if that even is exists)?

I guess we have to define consciousness. How would you all define it?

Being self-aware? Being able to perceive? Being able to make a decision? Being able to freely move?

 

I googled emergent properties, but still don't really get it.

Could you define it in your own words?

Putting it in relation to consciousness might help.

 

Yes, that is helpful, thanks @trodgers.

I guess what this leads me to think is, are there are levels of consciousness?

Like human consciousness is probably quite similar to that of other animals, but we still seem to have a higher level than them.

Might plants have a lower level of consciousness, and germs even lower, and so on?

I think we really need to understand scientifically if other organisms are self-aware, and where/if that self-awareness stops.

 

Consciousness is such a hotly debated topic in both science and philosophy. It hurts my head to try to understand it, but it fascinates me as well.

My guess is that it's an emergent property, like a software program. You can't open up a computer and find Microsoft Office, but when the computer is assembled and electricity is flowing, that software can be accessed. The same parallel can be drawn asking a neurosurgeon to find my memory of Horry's game-winner vs the Kings. (Is that even a correct analogy of an emergent property, Trav?)

I'm not certain that the above is true, but I'm led to deduce that it is because of these questions:

If consciousness is not an emergent property of neural cells + chemicals + electrical signals, but is something separate:
1. Where does it go during sleep/coma/anesthesia/amnesia?
2. Why is it affected beyond our control by chemicals (drugs), injury/stroke/tumors etc, and electrical or magnetic stimulation? In other words, if you change the biology/chemicals/electricity/magnetism you change the self.
3. How are many psychological disorders accounted for?
- multiple personality disorder or dissociative fugue (google it rookies )
-PTSD/developmental trauma symptoms where one has no control over his/her stress response system (brain stem) and emotional regulation (limbic system), resulting in reactive behaviors & emotions that are out of the control of free will of the self/consciousness?
-Schizophrenia and other psychoses.
-Addictions. The areas of the brain needed for rational thought, impulse regulation, planning/consequences of behavior, and reward/pleasure are literally turned off at times of stress, resulting in drug use that is most of the time out of the control of the self. In other words, the self/consciousness is just a software program like those other brain functions I just mentioned.

 

I believe that consciousness requires the living organism to be so aware of it's environment, that it can plan how to build a shelter, how to forage, and how to hunt for food.

Animals have to be proactive. Insects implement complex social orders and build nests. Wolves hunt in packs. Beavers chew down trees and bushes to build dams. Even animals who do not roam with a group have ingenious ways of sneaking up on their prey.

Plants simply react to the heat of the sun or to water reaching it's roots. No advance planning or strategy takes place. If a plant is "conscious", then so is my car alarm.

 

OMG, that gif is awesome!

Natural selection is an engineer, just not a purposeful one.

I have no clue as to the specifics of the evolution of the specific areas of the brain and in what area (combinations of areas actually), and at what time did the emergence come about.

What I do understanding vaguely is that the emergence would have to be very gradual. For example: basic memory, basic recognizing patterns, understanding agenticity, basic planning, basic language, and eventually self awareness and introspection. Stephen Pinker would be a good youtube search about this topic.

 

Plants only react, but wouldn't self-awareness at its most basic level simply be knowing if you're getting enough sunlight/rain or not in terms of a plant?

I'm not sure I agree with that. Natural selection isn't possible without reproduction, but reproduction isn't possible without survival. I think that organisms attempt to lessen the struggle to survive in every moment they live. Isn't that purposeful? The reason one individual survives and passes on its traits is because it wanted to get away from the predator and not struggle with the pain of getting eaten, for the most basic example.

Its*

 

^^
Yes, the individuals involved in the process of natural selection are purposefully trying to survive, but that's not what I meant. The process of natural selection isn't an intentional plan with the purpose of making things adapt in order to survive. Natural selection is blind and undiscriminating. Maybe there is a god who uses natural selection as his plan/purpose, but there's no reason to need to insert that into the equation scientifically.

 

No. Basic consciousness requires the ability to take sensory information and use that information to accomplish proactive tasks. Unconscious and subconscious human beings can detect when their lungs need oxygen and breathe while still asleep. Not too different than what a plant does with water.

 

I disagree. Consciousness doesn't require action, it simply requires feeling or knowing. I imagine trees feel if they are healthy or receiving rain/sun.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conscious

None of these define consciousness as affirmative action, except #7, but that is specifically referring to an action and how an action can be conscious.