(January 13, 2023 at 10:14 am)Dmitry1983 Wrote:(January 13, 2023 at 9:22 am)GrandizerII Wrote: If consciousness is an inevitable (but otherwise unnecessary from an evolutionary perspective) by-product of the workings of something complex like the brain, then evolution would still carry on, albeit with this practically unnecessary by-product called consciousness tagging along for the ride.Subjective experience seems to be too complex to be just a by-product. We can't even reproduce a single artificial quale.
Maybe, but we don't know. Nobody has a clue how consciousness works, and while it seems like consciousness is not necessary for our survival, maybe one day this will be shown to be false.
Either way, your argument isn't a compelling defeater of human evolution. It's just a reminder that consciousness continues to be a baffling mystery.
