(October 28, 2012 at 4:33 pm)DoubtVsFaith Wrote: Here's an idea: The whole is more than the some of its parts. A jigsaw puzzle with the pieces all fitted but jammed in the wrong holes is not the same as one fitted together perfectly. Perhaps, no single neuron is conscious but neurons working together equates to consciousness.
Yes, this is exactly what I think on the matter. However, this does not necessarily answer how consciousness originated. How many neurons does it take for them to be significant? Would this be in line with definition #3, or would the brain need to be complex enough to reach definition #2 for it to count? (Or, perhaps, somewhere in between, but I'm not sure how something could be in between when there is a line drawn between 'pure instinct' and 'not pure instinct'. Monleys can be taught things by humans, and can learn some things on their own. This suggests that they have something other than pure instinct to guide them. Am I wrong?
