Consciousness; a radically new theory. Romansh? (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, June 29, 2015, 17:45 (3434 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw:... but I am not prepared to reject the possibility that some form of intelligence may have evolved in certain materials, which enabled them to combine and create the first forms of life. This hypothesis suggests that mentation/quasi-consciousness/non-human intelligence or whatever you like to call it BEGAN with “things” - a hypothesis I find no more and no less convincing than those of a causeless universal consciousness that simply IS, or chance randomly putting the elements of life together, neither of which is substantiated by any evidence other than the speculative interpretations of their supporters.-The mental state evolved in living matter. Prior to life there was no 'mentation' Since it involves having life, 'things' other than life do not have mentation. And life was around a long tome before nerve cells appeared. I know you want sentience without nerve cells, but here you and I strongly differ. I think your theroy lacks a beginning phase and therefore rings hollow to me. 
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> DAVID: And a pantheist (very closely related to panpsychism) has the pope's ear with terrible results. I think the Earth is a special planet with interlocking and self-correcting properties to allow for life:
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> https://stream.org/scientific-pantheist-who-advises-pope-francis/
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> dhw: Many fixed beliefs have terrible results. I don't think anyone would disagree that Earth has interlocking and self-correcting properties that allow for life, since life exists on Earth. In a few billion years, those properties will presumably disappear, along with life, since all matter changes. Other than your disapproval of Schellnhuber's apparently atheistic espousal of the Gaia theory, I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here.-Just to show there are many natty ideas out there.