Autor: tstadmin
-
The hypothesis of the universe self-simulating itself in a strange loop
A paper from the Quantum Gravity Research institute proposes there is an underlying panconsciousness. The physical universe is a «strange loop» says the new paper titled «The Self-Simulation Hypothesis Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics» from the team at the Quantum Gravity Research, a Los Angeles-based theoretical physics institute founded by the scientist and entrepreneur Klee Irwin. They take Bostrom’s simulation…
-
Stephen Wolfram has a radical plan to build the universe from dots and lines
The Wolfram Physics Project,is an ambitious attempt to develop a new physics of our universe. Read more
-
Mutations in sodium-channel gene SCN9A cause a spectrum of human genetic pain disorders
Individuals with congenital indifference to pain have painless injuries beginning in infancy but otherwise normal sensory responses upon examination. Perception of passive movement, joint position, and vibration is normal, as are tactile thresholds and light touch perception. There is intact ability to distinguish between sharp and dull stimuli and to detect differences in temperature. The…
-
Should fish feel pain? A plant perspective by by František Baluška
Plants are not usually thought to be very active behaviorally, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Moreover, in stressful situations, plants produce numerous chemicals that have painkilling and anesthetic properties. Finally, plants, when treated with anesthetics, cannot execute active behaviors such as touch-induced leaf movements or rapid trap closures after localizing animal prey Read more
-
Can fish feel pain? A thread in Animal Sentience
Only humans can report feeling pain. In contrast, pain in animals is typically inferred on the basis of nonverbal behaviour. Unfortunately, these behavioural data can be problematic when the reliability and validity of the behavioural tests are questionable. The thesis proposed here is based on the bioengineering principle that structure determines function. Read more
-
Against functionalism: why I think the Foundational Research Institute should rethink its approach, by Michael Edward Johnson
FRI believes in analytic functionalism, or what David Chalmers calls “Type-A materialism”. Essentially, what this means is there’s no ’theoretical essence’ to consciousness; rather, consciousness is the sum-total of the functional properties of our brains. Since ‘functional properties’ are rather vague, this means consciousness itself is rather vague, in the same way words like “life,” “justice,” and “virtue”…
-
Physical theories of consciousness reduce to panpsychism, by Michael St. Jules
The necessary features for consciousness in prominent physical theories of consciousness that are actually described in terms of physical processes do not exclude panpsychism, the possibility that consciousness is ubiquitous in nature, including in things which aren’t typically considered alive. I’m not claiming panpsychism is true, although this significantly increases my credence in it, and…
-
Consciousness Realism: the non-eliminativist view of consciousness, by Magnus Vinding
The non-eliminativist view of consciousness is the view that consciousness is real and that its existence cannot reasonably be doubted. All the beliefs we are aware of appear in consciousness, and hence to express disbelief in the existence of consciousness amounts to reading off and trusting at least some aspect of one’s conscious experience –…
-
David Pearce on what is the difference between perception and consciousness
“Thus the existence of a real object outside me is never given directly in perception, but can only be added in thought to what is a modification of inner sense as its external cause, and hence can only be inferred.” (Kant, Critique of Pure Reason, 1781) “All that we see or seem is but a dream…
-
David Conner on entity and agency
Agency is the capacity for some entity to be considered an independent actor with the ability to interact on our shared sociophysical fabric. Agents process information signals from their environment, which can be conceptualized as sensory input or data. These sensory perceptions are internalized into information representations. Entities with agency can analyze and process these…