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Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy
https://iai.tv/articles/consciousnes...lved-auid-1302
"In other words, what the author calls the ‘functions of consciousness’ aren’t the cognitive tasks performed by consciousness, but simply those visible to consciousness—i.e. reportable through conscious introspection. Why call these tasks the ‘functions of consciousness’ if they aren’t what consciousness does, but merely what it sees?"
Sounds a lot like observing or witnessing.
"Phenomenal consciousness cannot have evolved. It can only have been there from the beginning as an intrinsic, irreducible fact of nature."
Body-mind - Biological machine with no free will and not the seat of consciousness.
Consciousness - Manifested or reflected as mind (and everything else).
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I skimmed that article and have a few thoughts on it's content. One is science has already dis-proved natural selection or evolution as the only or primary mechanism in the creation or appearance of living things based on modern mathematics. I won't go into the specifics, but basically intelligent design is inherently obvious in both the DNA and time lines of the appearance/existence of new life forms. Because of not only the speed at which new forms appeared, and the probability of certain DNA combinations based on mathematical probabilities, some intelligent force had to order or cause/design such things.
But "intelligent design" in consciousness is a sticky question as we have no idea what consciousness actually is, as science defines it by it's functions and not it's substance or structures. It is somehow present in living things, but what it is or how it comes to be is still unknown. Add in the fact that there is a lot of evidence that it works through the brain but also is independent from it, makes it even more hard to pin down as we have no means to perceive or study anything we can't put under a microscope or perceive through some other machine or mechanism. We simply have no means or method to perceive what consciousness is, only what it does. And ironically, what it does is perceives.
As far as the question, did conspicuousness evolve?, that depends what we mean by evolve. Consciousness can differ in awareness, both in content and quantitatively, as in, how much is known or seen or understood in any particular moment. There is always the potential for consciousness to be aware of more or understand more or to see or perceive things differently. Consciousness also is the ultimate cause or director or force behind such potentials manifesting. So consciousness does "learn" or evolve through the contemplation of or reflection on, what it is perceiving based on an ever growing base of understanding of how it is related to it's perception and how this perception is related to experience. Also, one cannot ignore the fact none of this happens in a vacuum. Consciousness, whether or not it arises out of this body and brain and it's physical forms or has it's source as an non-physical independent entity (when the human body dies), that fact is that now it is (I am) clearly merged with this body and it's brain in a very complex way. So all these mechanisms of evolution or learning and potentials takes place within this body and it's mind/brain and perception itself originates though this bodies sense organs, interpreted and presented to us in some form by the brain.
So that article is attempting to define a source for consciousness other than "natural selection" and natural selection has already been disproven by modern science and mathematics. The fact consciousness can be aware of and non-identified with the content of the brain tells me consciousness and the brain cannot have the same source or be of the same substance. Also, since "we" or consciousness are not aware of the brains sub-conscious functions, it seems obvious to me we are merged not only with something very different from ourselves, but also something vastly at a higher level of manufactured intelligence. In other words, we are merged with a "super computer" designed by an intelligence vastly higher than ours. It presents manufactured content to us, which we perceive, and then what we are and have, awareness, attempts to affect and understand how we play a role in what we experience and perceive.
We, consciousness, creates and projects reality inward and outward, and awareness allows us to play a greater and greater role in what this created content "is" as far as a potential perception and experience. Merged with this human body and it's mind is a micro example of what we do eternally out of the body. Create and "order" what exists according to our will based on what is available as far as understanding and awareness. Then also, at higher levels of intelligence and awareness, become involved in the creation of "what is or exists" as well. We are basically an energy that is becoming more and more aware of what exists and then through this increasing awareness, we have more of an effect on how what exists is manipulated to produce experience and particular perceptions. What is, is ordered through our intelligence and awareness, and also made into forms according to our will. Everything that exists was ordered into existence through "us" or beings exactly just like us, just more highly evolved and in a parallel non-physical dimension. But then we won't really be aware of how evolved we are until we leave this body and it's brain. This body and brain tends to be able to dampen or mask what we actually are. Also, consciousness can divide itself so what is merged with a particular life form is not what that conscious energy may be in it's totality.