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Hi Will,<br>
<br>
Consciousness includes a whole boat load of stuff, including
memory, personality, phenomenal qualities, physical desires,
decision making and information processing systems, myriads of
diverse perception systems.... to mention just a few. Could you
be a bit more specific? It helps, immensely, when people think
and talk, a bit more clearly and specifically, when talking about
this kind of stuff. Your question could be interpreted and
answered a million different ways, non of which would communicate
anything. For example, I hope you're not claiming that a rock,
has the ability to perceive, and remember what it is perceiving,
like is included in my 'consciousness'? But it sounds like you
are making that claim?<br>
<br>
I'm in the following Emerging Expert consensus camps in this
survey topic:<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://canonizer.com/topic.asp/88">http://canonizer.com/topic.asp/88</a><br>
<br>
Approachable Via Science<br>
Representational Qualia Theory<br>
Dualism<br>
Property Dualism<br>
Mind-Brain Identity Theory<br>
<br>
And in the non consensus camps at this more specific level:<br>
Material Property Dualism<br>
Macro Material Property Dualism<br>
<br>
These camps predict that much of the physical stuff in the
universe, at least something in our brain, has ineffable
phenomenal qualities that are blind to cause and effect (requires
qualitative interpretation) observation to 'see', unless you know
how to properly interpret what you are abstractedly 'seeing'.<br>
<br>
So, yes, if what you mean by "the entire universe is conscious",
is that the entire universe has these phenomenal or spiritual, if
you will, qualities which are blind to traditional causal
observation, then yes, I agree with you, it is likely that the
entire universe has these qualities, which our brain merges or
uses to 'paint' our unified phenomenal conscious experience with.
And the emerging expert consensus is clearly in this camp.<br>
<br>
Given your question, it makes me wonder what you believe
consciousness is. I'd sure like to know what camps you are in,
and would love to find out how many experts there are that agree
with you, compared to the existing camps, and be able to track
this over time, as ever more demonstrable scientific evidence
comes in (soon to force us all into the same camp).<br>
<br>
Upwards,<br>
<br>
Brent Allsop<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 8/24/2013 11:09 AM, Will Steinberg wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAKrqSyHFsnMW1o9WtoomGgC=reeMBY5fDMJ5-Z=h0P6jjKVsPA@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<p>What do you think causes consciousness? (Hint: the entire
universe is conscious)</p>
<br>
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