RE: Sam Harris On Defining Consciousness
August 24, 2015 at 6:27 pm
(This post was last modified: August 24, 2015 at 6:36 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
We can't even know what we're talking about between us, without -some- definition. If we were both using the term "tuna" to describe two entirely different things, how productive do you think our conversations would be?
-What if this sentence didn't actually mean as it reads?
In any case, there is a working definition of consciousness. The state of being aware, either of ones environment or ones self. We test examples against that definition by response. If we observe a response to enviromental stimuli we posit that the example is aware, that it is conscious, but we have greater requirements for -self- awareness. Even greater still for sentience.
A worm is aware, a magpie is self aware, human beings are self aware and sentient. This is by no means all inclusive or set in stone, simply a description of the field as we currently see it.
-What if this sentence didn't actually mean as it reads?
In any case, there is a working definition of consciousness. The state of being aware, either of ones environment or ones self. We test examples against that definition by response. If we observe a response to enviromental stimuli we posit that the example is aware, that it is conscious, but we have greater requirements for -self- awareness. Even greater still for sentience.
A worm is aware, a magpie is self aware, human beings are self aware and sentient. This is by no means all inclusive or set in stone, simply a description of the field as we currently see it.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
