What is consciousness

[Little Bang]

The human brain has billions and billions of neurons and each one is connected to every other cell in a humans body. All of these cells make a conscious human being and every cell is an entity unto it’s self. By that I mean that each cell can make it’s own conscious decisions about stimulus in it’s own environment. Most people would argue that an amoeba is not a conscious entity but that is not true because it makes decisions based on stimulus in it’s environment just like we do.

The total number of cells in an entity can not be the determining factor in the interaction of a consciousness with it’s reality because an elephant obviously has more total cells than a human but it’s interaction with reality is far below the complexity of man. You might then think that the total number of neurons might be the reason for this complexity but that can’t be true because there are a few animals that have as many as we do, although the more neurons an animal has the more complex it’s interaction with reality. It might be a combination of factors and one thing that must be looked at would be the way humans communicate abstract ideas.

[infamous]

Most people would argue that an amoeba is not a conscious entity but that is not true because it makes decisions based on stimulus in it’s environment just like we do.

.

 

I agree with your reasoning 100% Little Bang. All living beings make decisions bases upon their enviornmental stimuli. This same rational might also be applied to any entity that responds or reacts according to enviornmental stimuli. How far we wish to apply this notion is controversial, it has even been shown, that quantum reactions can be affected by the observer. Is it possible that these very particles are demonstrating a degree of consciousness?? How strange this universe of ours might really be?

[Little Bang]

Somewhere I have seen something about particle memory but I don't remember where.

[infamous]

Somewhere I have seen something about particle memory but I don't remember where.

 

Here is an interesting link on particle consciousness: http://arxiv.org/ftp/physics/papers/0004/0004047.pdf

[Aki]

According to Roger Penrose, conciousness is just a by-product of all the chemical reactions occuring in the brain.

[Gurdur]

According to Roger Penrose, conciousness is just a by-product of all the chemical reactions occuring in the brain.

Roger Penrose is no psychologist, nor good philosopher, nor neurophysiopsychologist, and it shows.

 

His other big blooper was attributing consciousness to quantum events/quantum-computing in the brain, a wholly unnecessary and unhelpful speculation.

[emessay]

CONSCIOUSNESS process make humans may open 'WINDOWS' in looking 'REALITY OF

UNIVERSE' . Is it singular in this universe ?

 

I think Penrose would like to explain 'a part of printing process only' from negative films to be 'print photo' in the darkroom.

[Aki]

Roger Penrose is no psychologist, nor good philosopher, nor neurophysiopsychologist, and it shows.

 

His other big blooper was attributing consciousness to quantum events/quantum-computing in the brain, a wholly unnecessary and unhelpful speculation.

 

Well in the Discover magazine two months ago(I think), it said that many researches show that he's right.

[Little Bang]

I don't know how you could possibly say there is no connection between quantum events and consciousness. Show us an experiment that says consciousness is not related to quantum events Gurdur.

[infamous]

I don't know how you could possibly say there is no connection between quantum events and consciousness. Show us an experiment that says consciousness is not related to quantum events Gurdur.

I agree completely Little Bang. Quantum events and more pointedly, Quantum reactions cannot be dismissed as being of no consequence. After all, everything we understand about nature is controlled by these interactions.

[Southtown]

If consciousness is a byproduct of chemical process, why do I have to witness my life. Why can't my body just go on without me, on "autopilot", if you will?

[lindagarrette]

If consciousness is a byproduct of chemical process, why do I have to witness my life. Why can't my body just go on without me, on "autopilot", if you will?

Consciousness is a product of evolution. Chemical processes are the mechanism, not the origin.

[lindagarrette]

I don't know how you could possibly say there is no connection between quantum events and consciousness. Show us an experiment that says consciousness is not related to quantum events Gurdur.

Quanttum events produce neutral results. They are not noticeable in the space/time universe of our awareness.

[Little Bang]

Linda, how do you explain the collapse of the wave function only when we look?

[Southtown]

If consciousness is a byproduct of chemical process, why do I have to witness my life. Why can't my body just go on without me, on "autopilot", if you will?

Consciousness is a product of evolution. Chemical processes are the mechanism, not the origin.

How does that apply to my question, since evolution is a chemical process?

[Erasmus00]

Linda, how do you explain the collapse of the wave function only when we look?

 

It isn't just when we look. An observation is really any interaction. The wave function doesn't collapse when we look at the result, it collapses when the particle hits the detector.

-Will

[Gurdur]

Well in the Discover magazine two months ago(I think), it said that many researches show that he's right.

Really ? Which papers, people etc. ?

 

Since consciousness is so badly understood as yet, it might well be worthy trying other approaches fully first to to explain the reiterative build-up of consciousness, rather than the pop approach of simply saying quantum, which explains nothing -- it's pure speculation and doesn't help at all.