[ExI] [Exl] Digital Consciousness

[Henry Rivera]

Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
>> Does euglena "experience" the perception of light during phototaxis?
>
>I suspect at some level yes, otherwise there would have to be some
>special consciousness spark entering at some evolutionary point
>between euglena and humans, and that seems implausible.


I hypothesize this is exactly what happened, but I wouldn't call it a
spark. At some point in the evolution of higher-level animals, we developed
some structure or process in our brain that allows us to jack into what I
call the universal consciousness that is all around us that
contains/produces qualia (perhaps interfacing at the plank scale). This is
currently being discussed on the Journal of Consciousness Studies list due
to recent articles on the topic. These brain structures or processes could
be microtubules, as Hammeroff suggests, EM fields interacting with
voltage-gated ion channels as Johnjoe McFadden suggests, Na+ channels as
Alfredo Pereira suggests, Ca++ ions as Chris Nunn suggests, or maybe
something we haven't discovered yet. Here's a recent paper on McFadden's
CEMI from the JCS:
http://machineslikeus.com/sites/default/files/mcfadden_JCS_2013%28a%29.pdf
I recognize that until there is more evidence supporting such unpopular
ideas, Occam's razor will lead most to dismiss them. I'm happy to modify my
views as evidence comes in.

-Henry
<http://machineslikeus.com/sites/default/files/mcfadden_JCS_2013%28a%29.pdf>
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