Panpsychism (Evolution)

by dhw, Friday, December 21, 2012, 18:56 (4138 days ago) @ romansh

Romansh asked if I thought a city was conscious. I argued that a city was a collective, and I'd have to split it into component parts, but "if pushed I'd say that inorganic material has no consciousness of its own. Any apparent consciousness will be the result of association with a different form of (conscious) energy."-ROMANSH: Are you suggesting the potassium, calcium and sodium ions play no part in your consciousness?-Things that play a part in consciousness do not necessarily have consciousness of their own. My body is approx 60% water. Are now going to ask me whether I think a glass of water is conscious? There is no end to this game! But the answer to your question is no, of course they PLAY A PART. So, I assume, does everything else in the assembly of materials that make up my body.-ROMANSH: Why would I assign something degrees of consciousness when I am not even convinced consciousness even exists?-This was the problem I mentioned earlier on. If you genuinely doubt whether consciousness exists, we cannot discuss panpsychism or the ideas I am trying to extrapolate from the theory. But let me reassure you that your always highly intelligent and probing questions suggest to me that you are not only aware of things around you, but you are even aware of the thoughts in your own mind. I suspect you are even conscious of the fact that you are doubting whether you are conscious.