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“I wonder if Newton or Einstein interrupted people all the time and reminded folks that what they were considering was a ‘hard problem?’ “ haha right?

Glad you are feeling better Mark! And to see the poll results so far. Of COURSE trees are conscious any tree could tell you that!

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Mike in "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" was conscious! 😁 Of course I believe all the critters (🦆🐂🕷🐛🐝🦔🐧🕊🐠🐢🐍🦀🐚🦗🐞🦑🐌) are sentient, which is why I'm a vegetarian. Since I consider humans to be a critter, too, it's probably a good thing I don't eat meat! 😅

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Thanks for commenting Jeannine. I hope you enjoyed this one. I think people are more willing to confront that consciousness is prevalent across many living things. I do think it is part of the animus toward vegetarian mentality as it is difficult to simultaneously ponder it as truth and continue to say oh well in your everyday life.

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I did enjoy it, thank you. 😊 I may have mentioned before that I became a vegetarian early on, as soon as I moved off the family farm to go to college. I used to play with the animals before they were turned into food, and it was upsetting when it came time to eat my former pals. I was never able to make that disconnect, saying one animal is a pet, but that other one is future hamburger... because the future hamburgers were usually as friendly, intelligent and playful as our pet dogs!

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cognitive dissonance

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An important tool for keeping one's mental health... one that seems to be missing from my toolbox.🙄

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Thoughtful piece. If I could channel Jane Austen she would have me remind you that she penned the book Sense and Sensibility when Hollywood was still a desert. 😉 I would have more than one answer to your poll. Consciousness abounds. Animals don’t have the messy ego of humans. Which is why meditation is so life giving. It diminishes the ego.

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Thanks CK. First thing I've written in a while so a bit of a struggle. I love your comment about the human ego! I think that is what is at the root of all the foolishness and quite oddball proposals about consciousness. I took the time to read a couple of serious attempts to explain IIT. I came away feeling like I was reading a bad college essay trying to stretch out the word count.

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This was a wonderful read.

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Eye In The Sky was perfect pairing with this topic!

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Thanks Paul. I love APP and always thought their thematic albums were fantastic. I think by reflex we push back against AI. My favorite fallback is that the earliest instances of AI/ML were aircraft autopilots more than 100 years ago. People instinctively push back against AI when it encroaches on what people have been conditioned to think of as uniquely human. That is why the pushback against AI-assisted writing and art. The very best military pilots ARE BETTER because of the AI assistance. The inspiration of our minds is what is driving AI/ML. Why not embrace it?

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But I like that movie? 🙂 Also orcas. And beetles. And science!

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Not disparaging the movie. My "sense" is a significant branch of neurology researchers are throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. I am currently reading a book the science of storytelling. While a harsh indictment, I think the signed statement referring to IIT as pseudoscience might be sensible. If someone was around these days and still thinking comets might be Gods riding chariots, they should be treated like astrologists rather than saying well until we have better instruments they might be right.

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I didn't think you were disparaging it! I just saw the opening and thought, "Ooh! Jane Austen!" 😄

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I made so many grammatical and spelling errors. I hope my head clears by next time.

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I always tell my friends and family that my tombstone will read, "She never cared about your typos."

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