RE: Theory number 3.
October 28, 2012 at 4:41 pm
(This post was last modified: October 28, 2012 at 4:44 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(October 28, 2012 at 4:32 pm)Darkstar Wrote: I can think of three possible meanings for concious:Meh, that's the one I was running with, but that leaves alot of wiggle room, definiteley don't need 2 or 3 for sentience. Nor would we expect much more than sentience from the earliest examples. Monkeys are demonstrably sentient btw. Any way you hope to describe human sentience will apply equally well to monkeys (but also to ants.......troubling for some I suppose)
1. sentient
Quote:2. can take action independent of instinctHehehe, you'll have a hard time providing an example of such a creature........also, would you consider the mechanical processes of plants "without instinct"...could they even have instinct? I suppose they would qualify under this one.
Quote:3. has a brainThat definitely seems to be a requirement for the sorts of consciousness we often point to when discussing the subject.
Quote:Which sounds the best? I'm between 2 and 3, but I'm leaning towards two.Meh, 1 and 2 if we're referencing central nervous systems (and those things that have them). Not exactly the bottom rung of the evolutionary ladder there though eh? This sort of multiple choice format lends itself well to the notion that "consciousness" is a matter of degree.
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