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RE: O Consciousness, Consciousness, Wherefore Art Thou Consciousness? [A Philosophical Argument on the Nature of Consciousness]
Interesting article. A lack of understanding of natural phenomena doesn't mean an entity has awareness, though.
I can't say I understand enough about quantum mechanics to really comment any further or speculate about the nature of the phenomena or why it occurs in that fashion. But I don't think the results are significant enough to indicate consciousness of an electron, or of various other entities. It's a hell of an inductive leap to say that everything is conscious because of the as-yet-unexplained results of a particular test.
Either way, keep it coming. I like thinking about things in new ways.
I appreciate your comment. :)
I definitely agree that it is quite a leap; however, we also do not quite understand what consciousness is. All we understand about consciousness is that we experience a form of it. That said, is it really such a leap to say that things could have some sense of awareness, even if it doesn't imitate that of which we experience as a human?
I think we need to define consciousness more precisely, even if we don't completely understand how it works.
I don't think what you're describing is a form of consciousness; it's more like a potential among options. Consciousness requires awareness of oneself - do you think a plant is aware of itself, or an electron? Having preprogrammed options or tendencies and having consciousness are two very different things.
Good points @justinchase. :)
The idea that everything is conscious vastly predates modern science and double slit experiment. I am not sure if we will ever be able to truly answer the question of consciousness in relation to other living begins. It seems to me, more of a metaphysical and philosophical question than scientific one.
My personal experience of plants and animals suggest that they are indeed self aware, definitely much more than we often give them credit. It could be simply a projection on my part but so could be thinking that they have no awareness or limited awareness.
In our evolution as culture we often assumed inferiority of other beings, and indeed other humans, based on religious belief that god made us special by giving us soul and gave us domain over the earth. Scientific community, over the decades, often proved resistant to change in paradigm due to the influence of religion.
Perhaps I would trust current established scientific position more, if not the fact, that it mirrors our culture's dominant beliefs. It's also very convenient for us to see ourselves as more aware and conscious than everything else. It means we do not have to feel bad about killing in order to survive. I can not help but question it.
Consciousness does not necessarily require awareness of oneself, that is self-awareness.
As I've stated before, I do not necessarily believe in free-will, leaving us with "preprogrammed options or tendencies." This potential of action::reaction is the same as what we exist within, I see no difference than we believe we have absolute free-will.