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It is quite clear to me, consciousness exists now, therefore changes are intelligently guided to some extent at this moment. So at what point did consciousness come into being?
Do individual atoms have consciousness?
If so, they must have the capability to control their destiny to some extent. Are they governed by rules dictating their behaviour in different conditions?
How did these rules come into being?
If rules exist, possibilities are limited and randomness is eliminated.
Food for thought.
Side Note: I have no doubt that my efforts will be in vain and this thread will unfortunately degenerate down the same path as all the others in this forum.
No matter how hard you try to present a balanced logical argument you will always be pidgeon-holed as being either religiously biased or scientifically biased.
Originally posted by -mytym-
I think we need to consider consciousness or the soul.
If there is no consciousness, there can be no intelligence
As soon as consciousness comes into being, so to does intelligence and with it, some sort of input in some capacity, to the direction of the change.
It is quite clear to me, consciousness exists now, therefore changes are intelligently guided to some extent at this moment.
Originally posted by -mytym-
I some up intelligence as being the capability to make an independant decision and follow it through. A cat can decide to jump over the fence, and then go ahead and jump over the fence. This is intelligence in my opinion. A computer can make no decisions of it's own accord. Any decisions it appears to make are the result of programming rules put i place by its maker. This is not intelligence in my opinion.
Far from being void of conciousness when you sleep, I think this is where your conciousness is at its most acute.
Free will implies the ability to make independant decisions and carry them out.
The computer does not possess free will, however it abides by rules programmed by its maker.
The maker has free will instead of the computer. Thus consciousness exists.
That desire for 'freedom of will' in that metaphysical superlative sense which is unfortunately still dominant in the minds of the half-educated, the desire to bear the whole and sole responsibility for one's actions and to absolve God, world, ancestors, chance, society from responsibility for them, is nothing less than the desire to be precisely [the] causa sui and, with more than Münchausen temerity, to pull oneself into existence out of the swamp of nothingness by one's own hair.
Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, I. xxi
Clearly you are employing an unconventional definition of consciousness.
A conscious person is aware of his or her surroundings; a sleeping person is not.
1. the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people: the moral consciousness of a nation.
3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life: to regain consciousness after fainting.
4. awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge: consciousness of wrongdoing.
5. concern, interest, or acute awareness: class consciousness.
6. the mental activity of which a person is aware as contrasted with unconscious mental processes.
7. Philosophy. the mind or the mental faculties as characterized by thought, feelings, and volition.
—Idiom
8. raise one's consciousness, to increase one's awareness and understanding of one's own needs, behavior, attitudes, etc., esp. as a member of a particular social or political group.
Originally posted by The Matrix Traveller
I know your answer was Not directed at myself, but let me introduce the perception of some others...
Consciousness 1. the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
This is reliant on the Identity of; "Ones own Existence" (Body or Entity being being the human form, or Not the human form, but instead a Conscious Entity, that experiences the human form).
2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual...
3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life...
This is subject to what the person/s interpretation on what the "Mind" actually is???
Life does Not walk, it is the human form that walks
This is subject again to identifying what "Life" actually is???
Is it the "Biological Form", or is it the "Consciousness" that experiences that form The Life???
If the human form is said to be "Conscious", then this is Not really true. The Human form is Not, and can Not, and will never be "Aware" or "Conscious" of anything. Not even the brain hears or sees or experiences any of the 5 senses but rather it is The "Consciousness" that is "Aware" through the brain! Does your Hand or Your Foot or any other part of your anatomy, know your "Identity" or "Conscious" State??? It is Time for humanity to realise that it is Not the human form, that is "Conscious", but rather it is an Entity, that is Non physical, that is experiencing the human form.
This knowledge I discovered, was the result of having been declared "Brain Dead", by medical staff in late 1973.
Originally posted by -mytym-
Hey anything is possible. Perhaps the cat is being completely controlled by a third party, in which case the third party is demonstrating the intelligence to carry out the fence jumping activity.
Perhaps the cat is exercising an automatic instinct which compels it to jump the fence, in which case it is following laws creating by its maker, thus the maker is demonstrating the intelligence.
In any event intelligence seems to be a pre-requisite to carry out this task in some capacity.
In turn I might wonder how you can be so sure that the medusa is void of intelligence?
I'm sure that file-sharing protocols are heavily dependent on programming that the protocols themselves did not develop.
I have been asleep many times, yet still aware of my surroundings.
The definition of conciousness I'm employing here is being aware of one's existence.
This response to you is an example of free will. I chose to respond and here it is!
Like I indicated at the beginning of this post, anything is possible, but at the present time I am comfortable with my current stance on the matter.
Originally posted by The Matrix Traveller
I guess you will find your own Reality when You Die.
I am just thankful for the Experience of death.
Prove to me, that I was Hallucinating if you are so convinced...
At this stage, you are only able to misrepresent my statements, according to your own beliefs/disbeliefs and preconceptions about death...
I do Not have to prove anything... but rather leave it up to you, to experience your own death... LOL
You may find it different than you imagine... LOL...
You shall find it quite Educational I suspect.... LOL...
and fascinating to say the very least... LOL...
Are you just terrified of your own imminent death experience???
Originally posted by -mytym-
consciousness or the soul
Look, Matrix: you're the one who wanted to wrestle, so don't you come over all nasty when you take a fall. The stubborn truth is that you have not provided a single reasoned argument, leave alone any proof, that would leave anyone inclined to believe what you say. If that's okay with you, post your views and welcome, enter arguments about them and welcome, too. But if it isn't okay, well - either don't post, or don't spit and snarl when people scoff. That may not be in the ATS terms and conditions, but it is most certainly in the spirit of them. Deny ignorance, remember?