In message <003601be874e$8ffa58a0$df71ecd0@default>, Jim
<magicjim@islc.net> writes
>Robin
>Would your belief be that a higher rate of information flow creates the
>higher level of consciousness ?
>Or in your view is it not possible to have a higher level. That a thing is
>consciousness or ir is not.
Thanks for your challenging question!
I don't have a firm view on this. Depends what you mean by "higher level of consciousness". It's certainly true that we can experience alternate states of consciousness, which might be classed as "higher" or "lower". On the other hand it is certainly not true that either a thing is conscious or it is not (exclusive or). That's only true of objective qualities (I think) and consciousness is not an objective quality -- it's intersubjective -- the concept only has meaning in the "live" situation where one person is attributing consciousness to another. As far as objective methodology is concerned, whether something's conscious might as well be entirely a matter of opinion -- intersubjectivity is just as bad as subjectivity, as far as science is concerned -- agreement between people isn't good enough, if a thing can't be measured, which consciousness certainly cannot.
-- Robin Faichney Visit The Conscious Machine at http://www.conscious-machine.com