Is Human Consciousness Special? | Episode 709 | Closer To Truth

[@shawnshawn2699]

I like how when this guys done listening to peoples crap he just tunes them out and carries on with his inner dialogue. Relatable.

[@sspbrazil]

Yeah, unfortunately.

[@markcounseling]

Hilarious

[@caramel7149]

Now that you point it out, i can't unsee it.

[@Civilizashum]

You're simply telling us about you.

[@jimmyjasi-anti-descartes7088]

Human Counsciosness is far from special... But Biological counsciosness certainly is meaningful. Birds are betting humans when it comes to their sense of magnetic fields. If Orchestrated Objective Reduction is true my bet is birds and mammals with temperature higher than humans like dogs (more coherent collapses triggered by "hotware" and "wetware") they will turn out to be more counscios( not the same as Intelligent) than we are. Like you have more Counsciosness in the REM dream than while awake

[@mickeybrumfield764]

Could it be that life has reached a special moment on this planet and the the purpose of our consciousness is to discover a purpose for our consciousness.

[@mattsven]

Sounds like you already gave it a purpose, in which case there’s nothing to discover.

[@tomthumb1322]

That's so deep I think I heard an echo.

[@SocksWithSandals]

Ironic

[@j.dragon651]

The creation is the creator. You are a sense organ for the creation.

[@sspbrazil]

Yes

[@leonbrenner236]

People are always trying to separate humans from all other animals. This is stupid. Conciousness is what observes thinking, emotions, the 5 senses, love, goals and personality. Consciousness is none of those things. It is only that which observes.

[@Bavenbushcraft]

Very well said, never thought of it that way before

[@NationalPK]

But you can't deny the fact that consciousness gives us the ability to experience these emotions, the understanding of experiencing these emotions, I say not only does it observe them, but it, itself is the source of emotion, love, sadness and all the possible feelings and experiences flow out of consciousness.

[@patmoran5339]

@Kemal Turgut That might be true from a biological evolution perspective, but I think humans are very much different than all the other species. Each individual human mind contains more information than a whole species of any other animal.

[@patmoran5339]

@Kemal Turgut I did not make any claim about special being "supernatural". I think people claim that humans are just like other animals and I claim that is not so. Humans are completely different in that they are universal explainers and universal constructors and therefore, universal creators. Humans are the only animal that can create new knowledge. It is our nature.

[@patmoran5339]

@Kemal Turgut I did not claim that the human mind is anything other than natural. Maybe this is a language difference problem?

[@derdualeraum356]

In one minute I'm a hardcore materialist who thinks that everything including thinking was caused by the big bang. In another minute I think that the whole material world including the big bang, space and time is just an illusion of some mental process of mine.

[@victorjcano]

THE ONLY THING FOR SURE IS THE FACT IS YOUR AWARENESS/CONSCIOUSNESS . kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZrEfKBshdGjqbM

[@jeffamos9854]

There is some good recent reasoning by some very authoritative neurologist and scientist that consciousness has to do with the magnetic field that is caused by the electrical impulses of our neurons. Consciousness is caused by the processes in our brains. Still no woowoo. I can look up and link the recent studies if like.

[@davidjayhalabecki438]

Science Is Sure, all else is suspect.. Trust always walks hand in hand with mistrust. The Gods want to Eternalize your Soul. Such a matchless career albeit evolutionarily enforced, is yours for the striving. Forget the secular vantage religion.. become God in real time.

[@dennistucker1153]

I understand how you feel. Space & time(by themselves) can not be seen or touched. However, we seem to have functional understanding of them. I think we have this understanding because our minds construct models to effectively deal with these items. I'm not saying that space & time do not exist(they do exist). It's just that our understanding of these stems from the mental modeling that we have and use.

[@domersgay28647]

@@jeffamos9854 give me the link

[@scottc3165]

Excellent presentation. Maintaining the passion of wanting to know has never been a problem for me. Perhaps the questioning is more important than the answer. I can't imagine descending into the mundane so far as to not be acutely aware of ME. What am I? The wonder associated with this expression is uncontainable. To me, the I is everything! Ask yourself, what, or who is it that wonders, that questions, that ponders? What is it that gets turned on by ITSELF? The You-ness of it all is the ultimate wonder. YOU cannot answer it, because how can the answer ask the question? But YOU are IT. It is not mental, not emotional, not calculating, and not thinking, or any of that. YOU are right at the heart of consciousness. The mere fact of YOU.

[@REDPUMPERNICKEL]

'You' are an analogy.

[@b0ondockz838]

Please get Dr. Bernardo Kastrup on the show.

[@RyanStrainMusic]

Cells themselves are conscious. They work together in groups to perform every function of every little bit of a living creature, from its epidermis, to its gut, to its toenails. I believe our consciousness is simply the collective consciousness and awareness of our cells. I think every cell is in on it. Everything in our bodies communicates with everything else through the brain. So all information goes in and out of the brain, through the brain cells, and the brain cells' function is to sort it all out. We are literally the cells in our brain, and our feeling of "self" is the collective sentience of the cells. So there is not a single "consciousness" in your brain. It is a trillion consciousnesses all experiencing this exact present moment together, right now, in the shape of you. I'm also really high, but this is my hypothesis to explain consciousness.

[@adonaiblackwood]

This is on point. Amazing deduction! 👏

[@livethemoment5148]

well , this is what happens when there is not a very clear definition of consciousness, and everybody gets to define it their own way....are cells self-aware? do they have feelings and make plans for the future? do they know they are part of a human? really?

[@CollyDoo]

Pass the Dutch, bruh.

[@RyanStrainMusic]

@@livethemoment5148 Yes, good questions. Now you're thinking!

[@LuisSantiago-ow8mu]

I like your hypothesis and how you get there. LOL

[@everready2903]

Consciousness wondering what it is! 🤷‍♂️

[@NationalPK]

@Tunishq Vonand who the hell told you that?

[@user-Void-Star]

Also, consciousness is saying consciousness wondering what it is! 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@johnyoutube6746]

Conciousness is a flow of electricity

[@martifingers]

@@johnyoutube6746 It appears "a flow of electricity" is indeed necessary for conciousness . The debate is whether it is sufficient. Even hard core naturalists like me can admit that.

[@johnyoutube6746]

@@martifingers the brain is like a computer,a computer cannot operate without energy/electricity,the energy give life to the computer/brain,you are not the brain you are the energy,we are one energy,

[@935pm2]

A consciousness can be too heavy a burden to bear in the long run. I'm afforded just only so much of a mental endurance you know.

[@SuperJim44]

It’s special in the sense that human consciousness is at the top of the consciousness scale, in relation to other animals.

[@chasemanhattan7335]

I think Buddhism is pretty scientific. They have been studying the mind and consciousness in a systematic manner for thousands of years.

[@ferdinandkraft857]

Where are the Buddhism equations?

[@chasemanhattan7335]

@@hicri9739 Have you ever studied Buddhism? It is more than a religion.

[@andrebrown8969]

@@chasemanhattan7335 No, it is just a religion.

[@User-jr7vf]

I have grown an interest in Buddhism lately and one reason is exactly that. However as a physicist I should point out that any claim taking to be true without proof is not science.

[@chasemanhattan7335]

I do not consider myself a religious person. I do practice Buddhism, however. The historical Buddha went out of his way to say you should not believe anything he said without experiencing it for yourself, he was very much a scientist/psychologist.

[@SocksWithSandals]

Astounding isn't it, that the one phenomenon to which we all have continual access and first-hand experience is the one natural process we cannot explain. Yet.

[@conversative]

Indeed. Most intimate yet most mysterious

[@billwassner1433]

And it's the one "natural process" that questions itself. Indeed, there couldn't be questions without it.

[@SuperFactsonly]

I tend to go with the "consciousness is just a function of the brain". Once the electricity stops flowing through the brain, consciousness seizes to exist in that machine we call human.

[@sspbrazil]

The consciousness we are aware of yes, but you are only giving a standard for consciousness as we know it.

[@tbomari]

Energy cannot be destroyed..

[@randscott4676]

Read about near death experiences where all electrical activity has stopped for as long as 40 minutes.

[@roblovestar9159]

Quick answer: We like to think so. And I would amend Kuhn's comment "Science is sure. All else is suspect." to "Science is suspect. All else is BS.".

[@jasonkinzie8835]

Values are different than facts. Science deals in fact. So are values BS!?

[@stevemilk5523]

consciousness is fundamental to the universe and everything "in it". Nothing exists without the process of a a conscious observer "being" somewhere to "create it." there is a Cosmic Consciousness of which each of us is a part of. we are not individuals independent from each other. our brains do not "create" our consciousness but instead "receives" our consciousness from a greater fundamental cosmic consciousness outside of the spacetime. It is said that Some people look at the ocean and see thousands of many different individual waves being made in that ocean and taking shape and impacting the world around that ocean as well as that ocean itself! others just see ONE giant ocean of water that is constantly changing and reacting to the material world within which it exists and taking on different shapes but still ALWAYS one giant interconnected existing ocean! we are all one loving cosmic consciousness existing outside of spacetime and our material world!

[@moorhertz829]

Could it be that consciousness is everywhere in a similar way gravity is and that each living thing is purely an emanation of that one consciousness?

[@blaster-zy7xx]

No. That is religion and woo woo supported by nothing but speculation, and superstition. Conciousness is simple want the brain does, just like the hearth pumps blood and lungs breath air. Likewise there is not a universal pump that we receive to pump blood nor a universal lung that we intercept that does our breathing.

[@jeffdanelek2132]

The main thing I get from watching these videos is the understanding that intelligence is no guarantor of truth. Very smart people come to vastly different views even while looking at the same evidence, suggesting that Mr. Kuhn's search for truth will likely always remain little more than a never ending quest at simply chasing one's own tail.

[@darkflip]

appreciation of expressions is consciousness, God is all love. its a beautiful recognition that all love created appreciation of expressions.

[@arieg7842]

When my dog, when she wants to pee at night, comes and wakes me up, then comes to the door , on the way checking that I am following her, comes to the door and position her body the way, that shows that she wants out, is she doing it conscientiously or not? When she looks out of the door and sees that it is raining, and she goes back to the room, is it a conscientious decision or not? To me it is. And we (humans) are not that far away from dogs and parrots.

[@BILLY-px3hw]

The purpose of consciousness is obvious, it is so we can communicate in the KZbin comment section. All of existence has led all of us here, if you are reading this then you know I am correct

[@Adeptus_Mechanicus]

"That's my bet". Mine as well. Thank you for sharing mr RLK!

[@livethemoment5148]

thats like saying...I bet that the universe is very very big and that its amazing and consequential....ok.....but what are you betting?

[@Adeptus_Mechanicus]

@@livethemoment5148 Your expression of naivety in attempts to change people's minds through KZbin comments (a year old at that) indicate you are extremely bored. Read a book. How a about a classic? "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" it's great of you're a nihilist.

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

-"Scientists say my consciousness is just my brain. Theologians believe my consciousness reflects the God who created it. Mystics hold my consciousness is a drop in the ocean of cosmic consciousness. Who's right?" -This is 2021...and we still have discussions with theologians and mystics???

[@oneshotjhin]

Yes.

[@stringX90]

I really liked this episode and the interviews within

[@bretnetherton9273]

Awareness is known by awareness alone.

[@Mr69elco]

Define "special" objectively. Closer to Truth, please do a show on why subjectiveness/objectiveness is part of our reality. I've been pondering this for a while but can't figure it out.

[@StanTheObserver-lo8rx]

I think Roberts goal is to find out "If I am in true amazement about the Universe will it grant me eternal afterlife?"...That's the vibe I get. Maybe most philosophical people hope for that.

[@jeremymr]

19:45 "We are embodied creatures..." - Dracula the theologian

[@brentkathan1859]

We are spirits in a material world

[@dougg1075]

Hunting dogs trying to figure out the combustion engine that moves the truck.

[@livethemoment5148]

sad....but true

[@rjgood1]

One thing I would reject for sure is the idea that consciousness is an accidental byproduct of evolution. It's far too complicated and such a central aspect of human existence that I find it absurd to give any serious weight to that idea. It would be like saying that one of the possibilities for the development of tusks on an elephant is that it was an accidental byproduct of evolution.

[@blaster-zy7xx]

Conciousness is a product of evolution, not a byproduct. Conciousness directly increases the organisms ability to survive and reproduce.

[@andrebrown8969]

I will let you guys know when I die.

[@rabbighfirlii32]

That's creepy

[@cfffba]

When my friend's sister was dying of cancer she told him she would try to contact him after her death. Nothing happened.

[@Lalakis]

@@cfffba Multiply that by billions other examples of deceased that would definitely like to contact their living loved ones but did not... you get the picture. Materialists do have a strong point.

[@josephhruby3225]

Wonderful. . . as always . Thank you

[@videosbymathew]

An acorn is not conscious in any way. She should really be using another word there. If she means "an acorn has the grounding to be conscious if it had the neural circuitry equipped with it to do so", then that's entirely different and something we should label separately as well. Using neat words like consciousness to push another view that doesn't match up with that word is like stealing the word for your own purpose. Just create a new word if you have too, it's ok, we do it all the time :).

[@jamesmiller7457]

I bet that your bet is correct. I am on this journey with you. I am studying alternate routes myself. Keep up the good work.

[@gregtroufas8066]

Of course consciousness is a product of survival and acts as a powerful tool towards survival but the question is , does consciousness serves survival or survival serves consciousness because if we think about it consciousness proved to be the strongest aspect of an organism to survive , just look how beyond competition human kind is , so maybe the struggle of survival is actually the harness of the most possibly complex consciousness. To me cant be coincident that consciousness is the strongest power for survival but at the same time is what makes us experience existence.

[@sonofode902]

My notes, 3:55 "self conscious reflection" The ability to control direction. While other living being (animals, plants) followed direction, human ser lt its own. Manusya. To check whether the direction taken is accordingly. The problem with Marvin, to quote him "its wasting your time if you don't know enough", here is one self conscious reflection for Marvin, "did he know enough, what caused those 'layers in the brain'?" Certainly not by some silly spirit or soul Marvin said, but then again he also can't see what ever that is. Didn't Marvin know that spirit and soul is not a visible material, asking for a material visual proof for soul and spirit is like asking what a sounds look like, or what is the shape of smells like, or hows that color taste like? Apparently Mravin also didn't know enough about spirit and soul, then just like what Marvin said, "its wasting your tine if you don't know enough", well Marvin dear if you want to know enough then you should spent some time, and to spent is not the same with wasting. Me thinks Marvin is not "self conscious reflection" enough. 6:57 Me thinks the evolutionary theory "accidental by-product", is very laughable. Here is my theory of "accidental by-product", contrary from my existence which was planned by my parrents, perhaps those "accidental by product" theorists were an accidental product of their parrents, which then what made them to come up with that theory. 12:10 the question does existance of things has "purpose". Reason and purpose sets a direction. A strect from starting point (reason) to end point (purpose), is a direction (Arrow). Thats the problem, is Metaphysical reality is reality? Is physical reality is the whole reality? My gosh, is it stubborn, or arrogance? If consciousness is a physical thing, you physical "scientists" would already find it, the fact that you have not yet find it, yet CONSCIOUSLY still looking for it, is it SO HARD to open to the possibility that it might not be physical? Is it that impossible for it to be META-physical? I mean on one hand you guys "scientists" accept that gravity is not physical, you know that thingy called Quantum Physics. Energy... ia that physical? Particle of light duality, whats with that "wave" part, is that physical? So, is everything exist in the universe must be in physical? My gosh, the stubborness, the arrogance, thats why these people can't see it, because they consciously refuse/reject to see it. Those bastards (people who carry God's name in vain) really did an awefull things to these people, it seems everytime they hear the word "God" or anything related, the door of their mind automatically clossed down, not even it's windows used to take a peek, a complete shut down. Gin,

[@cvsree]

Consciousness is same in all beings. It's the mind that varies.

[@ramsesrameez5430]

She have a good sense of humor. Most of time we think what is the reality of human nature. What is the main purpose of life give to us and earth why only earth where humans lived what kind of part does human life have here. We have same god but worships are different. But i am thankful to everything

[@randscott4676]

Sad those who speak on the less material approaches to consciousness speak on a nonetheless prosaic level. The reason materialists have their biases is they always stand outside unitive consciousness. Their own disposition prejudices them. Materialism is but a theory and not an absolute understanding of nature. A materialist vantage makes larger consciousness unassailable as it cannot encompass the whole.. To larger consciousness explanations of nature are beyond the point. From the vantage of consciousness the meaning is self evident. Science is inferior to gran consciousness. Materialism is like trying to measure a super computer with a voltmeter. Unfortunately the narrator of these programs always arrives back home at all of his preordained biases and expectations. Experiencing the Oneness of mind and body, thought and nature, will radically transform one's understanding of the world and of reality itself.

[@jensswales]

RLK seem more fascinated by searching answers than finding them...

[@jamesmiller7457]

18:00 How does the good Dr. so confidently say our consciousness was adapted, when he just said he did not know from what?

[@brianbob7514]

Up next, a professional football player asks if skeletons are important.

[@gunlokman]

I'm sorry - I haven't got time for that. I'm off to bang myself on the head with a hammer to see if it hurts.

[@realitynowassigned]

In other news, some people know it all

[@brianbob7514]

realitynowassigned famous know it all says “nobody knows anything so don’t worry about it”

[@winstonchang777]

self-reflectiveness ON WHAT ?!

[@terryshrk]

Clearly,..the first gentlemen interviewed has never owned a dog! You could argue that most domesticated animals seemingly show signs of reflective thought ( how else would they become domesticated Lol) But dogs especially show clear abilities to practice reflective and predictive reflective thought. .I also think that the first interviewee is describing learning and decision making as opposed to describing full on rational thought. And several animals have shown an ability to correct from mistakes if for no other reason then survival. I did appreciate his invisible elephant in the next room analogy but in truth the machinations of the brain haven't given us any more material night into conciseness defined as well as where it begins and where it ends.

[@chrisw7402]

I thought RLK was in his mid 50s, he’s 20 years older! He must go to the gym a lot.

[@alikarimi-langroodi5402]

Human Consciousness is more special than you, yourself. Let's face it; who are we, me, you, anyone - just some one who came into being and will die, when the time comes. But what we do realise and understand is very special indeed. Our whole history of humanity became what it is today - with most of us still unaware of our own world and what we can do to make our world a better place for us and for the future generations. This attempt was once innitiated before, 1400 years ago. Now, it is time to bring it back with this very human consciousness, unique, yet baffling to some thinkers who like to ignore some facts and stick to others.

[@johnmartin7346]

The most interesting question is: Can human consciousness become a super-consciousness? That one yes, very special! Yes, it can, but this process is extremely difficult and is highly confidential. Why do I reveal this? Because, for several reasons, I can afford it!

[@sandeep2435]

May be human consciousness increases as time passes that is in coming 1 million years from now human consciuosness level may increase to the level (super conscious) that we can't comprehend now There may be chances that after our death our consciousness level increases when we human go to another dimension.No one till now has not come back after their death , who knows our consciouness may not fade away after our death

[@johnmartin7346]

@@sandeep2435 It ´s not need 1 million years, but 2 or 3 seconds (something like a computer data transfer!) because is information (negative entropy) that can take entropy levels very low. This is all connected.

[@johnfausett3335]

What makes human consciousness unique? We are conscious of self.

[@MOSP14]

I don’t think that we humans care at all about what consciousness is, what we all truly want to know is if we will loose it once we die, it’s that fear that drive us to ask these questions

[@interestedinstuff]

I am in the camp that consciousness arises from the physical construction of our brain and bodies. I am in the camp that anything we can't perceive is not part of the answer to consciousness. I also have the opinion that we tend to have built instruments that look to detect extensions of what we can already detect. We have limited senses. Our instruments extend them. My guess though is that there is probably a lot in this world that has an action that we've not detected yet. So if there is a metaphysical aspect to existence, the fact we haven't detected it, doesn't mean that it isn't detectable. It doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It means we haven't detected it yet. At the same time, it may not exist. We already know that at the fundamental level many particles give up on worrying about locality. They also don't have much concern for the direction of time. And we know that our brains have evolved due to the pressures of natural selection. Nature does not care what we do or don't know. It does not care what we can or can't detect. It works purely with the results. So I won't be surprised if we find out that our brains use quantum entanglement in some way, or some other spooky at a distance property. It would not surprise me if we end up finding out that brains subtly communicate with each other. If we find out that the future affects the thoughts of our past. My guess is that we have a long way to go to understand our own consciousness, but we don't have that far to go to create an alternate to our consciousness. A different consciousness. One where we may not even be sure how to test if it is consciousness. A bit like we don't really know what is going on in the head of a cetacean or a cephalopod or a corvid, even though they all regularly demonstrate a high degree of intelligence, and they all demonstrate that their experience affects their choices in the present.

[@vinitkumar2644]

What made all of them to choose so diverse and different views on consciousness?? Is it consciousness itself!!!!

[@paolinobeta]

I remember when I was a kid an adult told me as a tricky joke:" it goes faster a train or is more tasty chocolate?" ... ...Most argument sound like that

[@johnmccabe7645]

Explain altruism. I choose to believe my soul elevates my animal nature into selflessness.

[@markuspfeifer8473]

Regarding purpose: I‘m quite happy that I have no purpose. If I had one, I‘d feel enslaved by it. What makes me free is precisely that I‘m not a robot that was created to do something in particular, but that I was born by parents who would accept however I turn out (or at least I could rebel if they didn’t). Actually, I have way too much purpose as a taxpayer and as an employee. I‘d much prefer if I was able to determine my own purpose even with respect to those things - and if everybody else could as well.

[@michaelward878]

Both scientists and theologians aren't even close to understanding Consciousness and it's underlying fundamental mechanisms and how it's connected to the universe. Consciousness is the most complex system in the known universe. Even more complexed than the brain that produces and connects it so consciousness is very special.

[@Catonzo]

Marvin Minsky is doing exactly the opposite of scientific approach to me. He claims that if it cannot be measured or observed it cannot exist. So... if we cannot measure it in empirical data or observe it directly.. it does not exist. Sound cannot be seen directly by our eyes, but its effects can. It could not be measured back in the old days nor observed.. thus it did not exist? What about Dark Matter? It is theoretical, but like soundwaves of old its effects are somewhat observable even if its direct appearance cannot be observed or measured. Just because we cannot see something today does not mean we cannot see it tomorrow and he needs to STOP that "if I cant see it, your argument is ignored." In a way he provokes me with his attitude.. not necessarily with the idea of a soul, but if this is his take on everything he is not scientific in his approach and only deals with the now rather than the possible future.

[@randscott4676]

You are correct! Only thing is, consciousness is only realized in the now the future being a construct of the mind.

[@catherinemoore9534]

Consciousness creates reality with the help of the body. But it also creates emotions, values, morality, mathematics and religions. Mix the basic ingredients together and something strange happens: reality changes, gets deeper, more mysterious, a puzzle... Like yeast in the bread mixture, consciousness can become spiritual. As the saying goes: first, in order to make an apple pie, you need a universe...

[@tunahelpa5433]

I notice that atheists say consciousness is material, while those who believe in something say that it's more than that. I think that regardless of its ultimate nature, we will eventually all agree that consciousness emerged in animal brains from fundamental physical elements.

[@ramsesrameez5430]

Try to train your brain to keep clam in any situation and observe the nature response to us.

[@D.A.-Espada]

May the great clam shine his pearly grin upon us

[@melgross]

Why do so many people need for us to have a purpose? We are here because that’s how life evolved. It doesn’t have to mean anything more than that. But we humans seem to want to believe we are special-without any evidence for it.

[@bhuvaneshwarjoshi3683]

Why not consider other forms of consciousness other than human such as plants consciousness ?Are we capable to realize that ?

[@sanjivgupta1418]

Forget consciousness, what about God ? Whether God created us or our mind created God ?

[@johnbrzykcy3076]

"I think it does but not in the direction of transcendent purpose." Personally I think the signpost points in two directions. One sign says "See the mountain." The other says "Take a journey beyond the mountain". If you are able, which sign do you choose to follow?

[@patmoran5339]

I believe that the universe has no purpose. However, I believe humans can give the universe a purpose. That purpose is to transform the universe into an anthropacy of knowledge.

[@ashar7751]

There are stories of children raised by animals (although not always reliable stories). I always wondered if children in those circumstances have developed a consciousness like an average human. What kind of self awareness would they have?

[@livethemoment5148]

I am so dissapointed that these supposedly very intelligent people never say that consciousness is an emergent property of a complex brain, that is ...that the brain...already being complex...when it is busy working...an even more complex property emerges to the surface...our consciousness

[@syz911]

Consciousness can't be measured directly. That is why many hypotheses exist.

[@QualeQualeson]

Listen, there's a video on YT with a shark who has a nasty hook in her mouth. A female diver grabs an opportunity to remove the hook when the shark swims near. The shark responds instinctively to the violence and probably the pain as well, and swims quickly away. Then, and here comes the baffling part; the shark has a think about it. She realizes _in retrospect_ (!) that the diver was in fact helping her. So now she swims back to cuddle with the diver. And not only that, but she keeps coming back every time she dives to cuddle, possibly for the rest of her life. A shark. Not a great ape or a whale or an elephant. A fish. Now, I didn't pick up any particular arrogance in this video that prompted me to write this comment. I feel that that attitude is pretty passé anyway, at least in informed circles. Nor do I know exactly what it all means. But I do know that animals, even those considered primitive, are much more advanced than many give them credit for. I still want to eat them though, so that's a bit of a conundrum isn't it. Often I find, when I observe the distance between my intellectual perspectives and the realities of earthly existence, that you just have to accept what you are if you want to keep living here.

[@warframeees8013]

That doesn’t prove that animals are conscious and neither does showing affection to someone that has helped you prove that you’re conscious. You can build a robot that acts just as a human but that doesn’t mean it’s conscious, otherwise if you believe that I’d mean that every time you’d kill a npc in a game you’d be killing a conscious being.

[@QualeQualeson]

@@warframeees8013 Drivel. Go back to your bong. Even trees are obviously conscious. If you wanna do the "you can't prove anything about anything dude" thing, it's fine, but do it without me please.

[@livethemoment5148]

I think the pre-amble to many of these discussions should be a humble one: Humans: the most intelligent animal species on Earth, who have mastered many things including nearby space travel, quantum mechanics and atomic energy, etc...but still have not figured out how to get along with each other for the betterment of humanity, have not figured out how to preserve the Earth from pollution, climate chaos and species extinction......surely we cannot expect ourselves to have answers to the inner workings of the brain...we cannot even create a fly from scratch...we need natures blueprints for that....human intelligence is to a certain degree...but nowhere near the level required to fully understand even the weather patterns on Earth...much less the human brain and consciousness.

[@panditsonawane5188]

I would request you to please refer a book a Life Devin by an Indian philosopher Arabindo Ghosh on human conciseness if not.

[@bradleyadams4496]

Human beings are surrounded by wonderous things like grass hoppers, but we take everything for granted, and entomology is a discipline, but I assure you that every living thing which has neurons is conscious. Try and grab a grasshopper and it will jump away from you because though it does not perceive the universe the same as we do, consciousness for animals and insects, is determinative of whether you are living. When you lose your consciouness, you are dead, and all animals use their consciousness to source food, mate, and preserve their lives. Humans are different, we have free will and may choose to take our own life. Human consciousness is the same as all the other animals consciousness, our experience of the world and universe is different. Our consciousness is also special and distinct from the other consciousnesses on the planet, we can predict the natural course of the universe from now until the end of time. Our consciousness, and indeed the reason why we are here as the legacy of our forepeople, is the greatest competitive advantage against all forces in the universe, because we can always place ourselves in the right place at the right time because we think of the future and can confidently project it into reality in the universe. Each, the scientist, the theologian, and the mystic priest was correct about what consciousness is, what we each experience, and all we experience of the universe, is our consciousness. People ought not look for a singluar authority of what it means to be conscious, they should recognize that to practice a discipline is to embrace a consciousness which is shared by others in the universe. We all should recognize that consciousness is innate, but what quality is the consciousness in question is a political arena. Without consciousness we do not have experience of the universe, but for humans, our purpose in the universe is greater than our current technological or political or economic constructs we have for today, and the real measure of our consciousness is how we master the phenomenon which is consciousness to create a civilization where each person's experience of the universe is captivating and when it is, naturally, people will have more spiritual affinity for the universe. Right now, our consciousness is inflicted with wounds and fears, we aren't living as confident masters of the universe, we are living as petrified agents of destruction, so, to answer your question, our consciousness is special, but it can be more punishing on ourselves than a dog's conscious on himself, and if can be a world were the multitude of consciouses have optimism. Life is the universe invention of work. Before life, no work was conducted in the universe. Since the advent of life, life has worked to change the environment of this planet to make it more conducive to life. We have this bond with all life on Earth. Trees, ferns, and funji are not conscious, but some trees are able to communicate, you don't have to be conscious to communicate. A wasp is conscious. It is armed and programed to do its work, they are clumbsy when flying, but if you interfere with it doing its work, it will consciously attempt to sting you. Every animal and insect has to use consciousness for survival, and it is the reason why animals have consciousness and trees do not. Personally, I think it would be cruel of the universe to create a conscious tree, but the reality is that this form of life does not require consciousness to survive, and every form of life which needs consciouness for survival has it. Our level of consciousness is great enough to master the science which makes life abundant on this world. It's not theoretical, it requires real work, just as the ancient plant work resulted in a oxygenated atmosphere. When we do our work, and stop expecting or praying for rain (i.e. the chance of a good world), people will realize that our consciousness is special, but so long as leaders like Xi wip wip, many people will adopt behaviors which further distort the truth about us and our place in the universe. You are nothing beyond your consciousness. Consciousness does not comprise the entirety of you, but is your experience of the universe, and it is only life which experiences the universe. Life can into existence, because if it did not, the universe would have been experienced by nothing, ergo, it never existed. Robots and computers can have data, but they don't experience the universe. Consciousness one of a small number of experiences in the universe. Trees experience the universe, so you don't need consciousness to experience the universe, but you do need consciousness, our higher level of consciousness, to validate the existence of the universe. Our consciousness is special because with it we do something critically important to the universe, we validate its existence, so theologians can conclude that the universe was not created until the creation of our consciousness. We accomplished a profound thing for the universe when we came into existence. We are destined to be the most profound thing in the universe for this very reason. We know it exist. If we fail at civilization, we will be engulfed by a red giant, and the probe we launched to exit our solar system, if recovered by another conscious intelligent being, would validate our existence, but our record on the scale of intelligence would be called into question. Arrogant people who don't really appreciate the process of evolution, don't recognize that we are here because we are part of creation. As for the moment of creation, if you recognize that all is empty until it can be validated, you recognize that the process led up to the moment of creation which was when the universe succeed in producing the master of all creation. Time became relevant when it was recorded. Time before us is relevant because we are present, not because it would be relevant if we weren't present. The relevancy of everything is determined by the master of the universe. For instance, before us, time was not relevant to the universe, but since the advent of us, and since we are the universe incarnate, time is relevant, including the time preceding our arrival to the universe. And to be more frank, we don't have forever to get things correct, our time to be complacent and reliant upon anything other than ourselves to master the universe is not perpetual. We were meant to master, not rely! Madam, if you find purpose is a single thing in the universe, you have found purpose for everything in the universe. I too believe in purpose, and it starts with life. Consciousness does not come from the universe, it is your experience of the universe. Consciousness is not cosmic and directive, it's a internal process of experiencing the universe. The cosmos don't experience anything, the forces of the universe don't do work or experience anything, but we absorb the information from the cosmos and our lives are dependent upon making decisions based off that information. As life, we are always in jeopardy for the duration of time we have as an entity in the universe. Consciousness is needed in the universe because of this jeopardy we find ourselves facing the entire time we exist in the universe, and the reason why we face this jeopardy is because everything in the universe is real. How could you claim that the most valuable competitive advantage in the universe is purposeless. You don't need to look through a telescope to know that evil is real in the universe, just examine much of instances in human history. We will be conscious of the environment we create for ourselves, if evil rule the day, the people will be conscious of great atrocities and many evils. Religion is the accumulated experience of our ancestors and their lives establishing civilization. Most religion is of human realities in early civilization. The beliefs of the first people would have been passed down by oral tradition, but religion is crucially important for the functioning of good civilization because it doesn't force everyone to start from square one. We have the collective wisdom of what worked to establish civilization. There are many mysteries concerning the orgins of things. We will encounter limitations regarding what we can know about creation and we know that was a mind blowing event. All I can say, is that, the creator of the universe would have had billions of years to be impressed with stars and black holes, and if he can create the universe, he definitly can speak to people, and after taking so long to create people, he'd likely want to.

[@prakashvakil3322]

Aatmiya DIVINITY HARE KRSNA Experiencing amazing 'Contentment'sharing points of view relating to the subject. Human beings are Spiritual where as animals, plants and rocks are also existing, thinking and conscious like humans but non SPIRIT. Very respectfully Loving You One and All DIVINE 💕

[@wattshumphrey8422]

Robert -- heard a comment from someone not long ago to the effect that -- we have been wondering and "studying" consciousness for 400 years and still haven't the slightest idea what it is -- i.e. the 400 years has gotten us nowhere closer to understanding. Conclusion: we are asking the wrong questions, looking in the wrong place. A proposition: the key avenue to explore is not "consciousness" at all -- that is confusing the plot, soundtrack, emotional highs and lows, the entire surround sound experience from the fundamental "elephant in the room": AWARENESS. Who is watching the movie? How are we aware at all? There is a watcher. As an experienced practitioner of meditation -- I am can completely quiet thoughts and emotions, and sit in a place of pure awareness. Who is watching? Therein is the entrance to the rabbit hole.

[@randscott4676]

The problem for the materialist is seeking consciousness as an idea. Within gran consciousness ideas are superfluous. Ideas are like stain glass windows over consciousness.

[@wattshumphrey8422]

@@randscott4676 agreed, "consciousness" is not "conceptual structure"

[@bstlybengali]

Consciousness has purpose and if that’s true then God MUST exist logically

[@TimeGhost7]

The reality of consciousness will involve chaos and complexity beyond our understanding, but it will be simplified by the consciousness speaking an explanation. Our intent comes from consciousness, so I think people are going to find interesting cognitive loops, that will make us realise how differently we see the world. How thinking differently is part of the answer. We will all have our preference explanations to gravitate to, even with perfect knowledge, due to processing differences.

[@TimeGhost7]

My short explanation of consciousness has holes in, so I will counterpoint myself. The progress towards understanding how we think differently is by knowing how we are all the same. This can be done through scientific reductionism, Buddhist enlightenment or another unifying system, that encapsulates all testable consciousness. So not all explanations are equally exploratory in this question, as people will fill in the blanks (often by reframing the consciousness concept in their head) with themselves, and not tell you (or probably their conscious selves) about it. History helps frame the context of human consciousness beyond our current moment, but in seeking changes to the status-quo I believe science will offer new information to this problem. Consciousness too readily mixes up causation and correlation, so good science will dampen that effect, to hopefully yield something new.

[@HoaNguyen-bx8hl]

Consciousness, as the most tricking part of a human being is the brain. Since we call it “it’s our brain”. Should we’d be controlling or be the boss of our brains, or we’re allowing our brains controlling ourselves? As human being, we have a tendency to make decisions with emotional or feeling, and that would more likely putting us in a situation instead of position. Imaging if a person uses (controls) his or her brain correctly, he/she always be positioning him or herself. A wise man would share an affection with compassionate person, otherwise he should keep his peace.

[@ddandrews6472]

Organized religions are never too far from greed, selfishness, power, politics, business, authority, money etc etc regardless of all the seemingly selfless, kind and altruistic work happening all around the world by religious institutions. And the idea of god is something we humans created in our brains. Whether there is such thing exists out there is ultimately un-debatable or debatable forever. What is certain is that human concept, idea of a creator is just a story in our head to keep us in a drug induced control state to keep us from going mad collectively and individually. However, religions aren't doing a good job itself of it as we can see from last couple of thousand of years of human history. However, I am not all that certain religion(or the organized idea of the belief in things that doesn't exist) can be removed from human individual and collective behavior. It may be, that we need religion(s) at this stage to keep us from becoming true lunatics, collectively & individually. I am wary of the alternatives(to religion) out there, including the 'scientific method' based ones as well as modern philosophical schools based ones. I am of the opinion or belief(rather than understanding) the religion(or the organized hallucinatory belief systems) may be far more integrated into our brain/neurology of the frontal cortex than we would like to believe. Religion is an apparent drug to keep us 'sane' with lot of shortcomings on that objective(keeping us 'sane'). Instead, religion(s) may be far deeply integrated into our brains at this stage, that any forceful attempt to eliminate it may cause it to enter through the backdoor with a vengeance. I think communism is a good example where the original good intentions all ended up in a massive carnage due to the ignoring human biology as a social animal. I think intellectual think tanks need to make a sacrifice by investing time to find answers to these fundamental questions by spending more time on thinking about it and less time on how to make money or how to eat a better meal tomorrow or how to find a good mate to procreate. As a mere mortal I am very skeptical about the "intellectual think tanks" or any intellectuals ability to do that. Or you can simply believe in your sophisticated version of Santa Clause and let it be.

[@alsindtube]

The brain is within the body, but the body is within the mind.

[@cvdb2471]

“Scientists state that consciousness is the random result of accidental evolution.” This is incorrect. Evolution is not a random accidental process but the process of natural selection that specifically results in survival of the most “successful” DNAs. Nothing to do with randomness.

[@MukeshMukesh-bl6es]

Yes you are right, the evolution is a gradual progressive process of living organisms aimed at minimizing risk in living and maximizing the pleasure intake. However the human consciousness is not that baffling when we understand it.

[@GrandpaJeffrey]

Evolution occurs at first by a random mutation which ends up being selected for, because it was useful in terms of survival. So evolution is (as you said) a selection process, but for those attributes that result from random mutation.

[@bayremdridi5131]

@@GrandpaJeffrey I absolutely agree with you, evolution is selected randomness, random genetic mutations happen through accident and are then pruned by natural selection. It is chaos molded into order.

[@GrandpaJeffrey]

@@bayremdridi5131 I love your use of the words “pruned by natural selection”. Well said!

[@JamesRichardWiley]

All living things have consciousness. Scientists, theologians and mystics all have the power to create their own reality.

[@REDPUMPERNICKEL]

"All living things have consciousness." No. Some living things are simply reactive. Some living things are driven entirely by instinct. And even though we are alive we are *not* conscious when we are enjoying a deep and dreamless slumber. "Scientists, theologians and mystics all have the power to create their own reality." Whether that's true or not depends on what you mean by 'reality'.

[@vinitkumar2644]

Being the part of the earth, we started to communicate with each other so late using languages and in writing. Similarly, being the part of universe can consciousness be the mode of communication in the universe with all/any civilization existing out there in another mystery called space!!

[@issammerdaci8956]

do life evolv befor humen consciosness ?

[@ramsesrameez5430]

Well what we imagine and what we believe and what we think come around

[@taniasara7558]

Thank u very much, it is very interesting 🙏❤

[@putjack3703]

if matter is the only source of conciousness, why does it give so much differend results of how people think?

[@Aloka145]

You should ask to the Spirit Philosophy, we have answers that have been given by external/non embodied consciousness, Allan kardec in paris 1865 wrote 400 pages of answers just as Johannes Greber in 1920 germany. It explains all the questions about religion, spirituality, and of course all the mystivism, the paranormal, the "invisible" and shows how we as earth humans have lot to discover about the universe and our conection to it

[@Aloka145]

Well it depends on your darth vader costume I guess !

[@Corteum]

You're the subject. Definitely special in a universe filled with objects.

[@robertthomas4234]

The self-concious is a spirit too. Invisible.

[@matkosmat8890]

"She appreciates science" - just noting the euphemism :)

[@theclassicfan7002]

anyone knows the music from the beginning. pls... composer???

[@threeleggedman]

God is running the show. It's beyond our understanding, so I stopped asking. Just live life and go out of your way to enjoy it.

[@TRayTV]

If the telos of an acorn is to become an oak tree then why isn't the telos of a human to create more humans? But if that acorn doesn't become a tree, becomes fertilizer or firewood, what does that say about the assumed purpose of the acorn and the assumed higher purposes of humans?

[@Chicken_Little_Syndrome]

Brains do not exist without bodies. Bodies do not exist without an environment. And the (fundamental) environment cannot not exist. Perhaps the answer lies in how we frame the question.

[@mobiustrip1400]

It depends on how you define special.

[@dheerajmalhotra7245]

When a conscious being comes to this simulated reality in this material human body it becomes special because human body is superior material body above all material body forms in this material universe or multiverse. Human body is above animal body, microorganisms, trees & plants & other material body forms, so when we get this human body we can enjoy lot & experience things which we cannot enjoy or experience in other body forms.

[@42BETWO]

As a survival function, self-consciousness-the consciousness of being conscious-asks Why? It creates an existential dilemma for itself to answer. Depending on how it’s answered philosophically-the reason, purpose and meaning one gives to his existence (vs non existence)-according to Nietzsche, it can endure any “how.”

[@sudipadhikari491]

If consciousness is just physical why don't we understand the machine language of the physical body but instead have 'out of the body' subjectivity.

[@billyoumans1784]

Consciousness is sure. All else is experienced through a MEDIUM - the senses. And the senses don’t give a true picture.

[@daveedadjian7854]

How interesting. A super intelligent , and completely stuck in the idea that physical reality is fundamental and trying to squeeze everything in it

[@Earstolisten]

Yes

[@followyourbliss973]

Human consciousness grows more and more aware of itself over time through trial and error and life experience handed down from one generation to another but life will always remain a mystery.

[@tookie36]

The human mind grows more and more aware over time. Consciousness is constant and unchanging

[@blaster-zy7xx]

He should just do it in the right order. Start with the theologen, move to the philosopher and end up with the materialist who has the right answer.