• BarneyPiccolo
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    19 hours ago

    I don’t understand the author’s basic premise, or even his definitions. To me, consciousness is the actual “spark of life” that exists in all creatures. When they die, that spark leaves, and they no longer have consciousness.

    Experience is an entirely different thing.

    • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      To me, life=consciousness is just too simple of a definition. Is a sponge conscious? How about a plant? How about a single bacteria cell?

      I feel there is a difference between something making a choice in their actions, or merely reacting to external stimuli. That line is blurry, and there’s a lot more creatures that fall on the conscious side than we used to think, but there are definitely creatures that don’t. You’ll never be able to convince me that something like a jellyfish or a salp is a conscious creature.

      • x00z@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        There isn’t just a blurry line between choice and reaction, there’s also differences in consciousness itself. There’s low forms of consciousness and high forms of consciousness. Being wasted for example alters it, and can even make you unconscious.