Are plants conscious?

Given the blatant duality of life and death, that's clearly not the case.
Are you comparing life to consciousness? They seem like two completely different things.

Overall this "black and white" approach is pretty limiting in my experience.
If you have to rely on dissemblance to float your definition of consciousness, you are relying on something factitious at the onset.
No dissembling required. Consciousness is a scale, as are most other biological parameters.
What an absurd question. The fact that he does it for his comrades (and not his enemies) establishes his self interest.
Nope. He is acting against his self interest. Intentionally killing oneself is the very definition of acting against ones self interest.

He may, of course, be acting in support of a higher moral cause (like choosing the lives of many over his own) but that is a decision absolutely made against his self interest.
Only if they, like you, are relying on a miserly definition of self interest.
Sounds like you've painted yourself into a corner with your definition of consciousness and are now trying to redefine words to "win."

I will let you play such games by yourself; they are ultimately not very interesting. I think you now realize that your requirement that anything conscious must exhibit self interest is invalid.
Are you a pilot?
No, but unless that somehow offers another angle on understanding why the successful roll out of complete driverless assistance for aircraft occurred about seventy years ago . . . .
It offers a better perspective on why you think that an aircraft's working environment is many times less complex than a car's when it comes to avoiding collisions. If you had ever flown the Manhattan VFR corridor, for example, you would not think that was the case.
Hence (regardless of whether one thinks its appropriate to add or drop a "bio" in regards to chemical synthesis), there's a big distinction between the synthesis of life and the ?bio?\synthesis of chemicals life utilizes.
There is certainly a difference between abiogenesis (beginning of life from lifelessness) and 'ordinary' biosynthesis. However, reproduction ('synthesis of life') _is_ biosynthesis, just writ large.
 
If one's prefered system of analysis cannot locate the causal force, what on earth can they work with but the results!
And the causal chemical functions whch result in life.
(With the added bonus of introducing superlatives to knit a narrative to compensate for one's lack of knowledge)
At least it is a narrative, regardless of the semantics. That old ploy doesn't work on me.
What is your narrative? And feel free to use as many superlatives as you like.
 
Being alive seems to be a prime requirement for being a functional parent of offspring.
And synthesizing the chemicals involved. So humans - being alive - can synthesize a bacterium, just as a bacterium - being alive - can. Different techniques, is all.
If parents are observed in all and every case to give rise to their offspring
That's not how bacteria do it. They synthesize the chemicals of a new bacterium, chemical by chemical, and then split it off. They don't "give rise to".
 
I'm not sure the distinction is required. If something has the property of dualism, how do you propose to determine that the dualism does or does not arise from the substance?
It may not be required, but it might help others frame your response, and might avoid confusion in future.
As said, some people immediately see "dualism" as referring to substance dualism and from there, rightly or wrongly, to a religious agenda.
I just felt that clarifying one's position might avoid such.
If you don't think so, or simply don't want to clarify, that is your prerogative.
If for all intents and purposes, the phenomena cannot be worked with in the field reduced by physics, what would be the purpose in saying it is ultimately beyond or within physics? Or do you think the ecclesiastical monopoly of militant physicists works by the addage of "If you are not for us, you are against us."?
I'm sure you think this has relevance.
A world of phenomena that is not reducible to an understanding of the machinations of matter.
Do you think that this irreducibility is temporary or a permanent fixture?
If the latter, do you have proof of the impossibility, per chance?
IOW having an understanding of the world with vast epistemological holes (especially at the point of introducing "life" to the equation) is exactly what you would expect in a world built on a dualistic foundation ..... and, lo and behold, that is what we have.
Equally it is what we might expect if the universe is actually monistic but we simply lack understanding of the complexity of systems such as those being discussed, and where in the interim we find dualistic approaches to be of benefit.
I.e. there seems a significant whiff of affirming the consequent about your position here.
Given that property dualism includes a host of opposing views in the (vain?) effort to constrain the duality to property, one has to ask what you are hoping to achieve by alluding to a term that provides anything less than disagreement and controversy.
As said, my aim in asking you to which you refer was simply to help understand your overall viewpoint, and possibly to avoid confusion later on.
Seeking initial clarification between propert and substance dualism seemed a good starting point.
If you wish to clarify beyond that, please feel free.
If you don't wish to clarify at all, again that is your call.
I posted a vid earlier from a lecture presentation about advancements in the field of fatigue management in athletes. He talks about how adherance to a reductionist view of fatigue was producing inferior results, and how moving into a dualistic model secured not only better results but results that were deemed impossible by reductionist understandings (such as long distance swimming in arctic waters in speedos). Now you can don your hockey mask as you philophically duke it out and argue whether its emergent, ephiphenomenal, or panphyscist, or even substance dualism, but that is beside the point. There is a whole realm of science that is quite comfortable to make progress without drafting a necessary political allegiance to material monism every step of the way.
I don't disagree with any of that.

You seem to have misunderstood my purpose for asking for clarity, so I will drop it.
 
And synthesizing the chemicals involved. So humans - being alive - can synthesize a bacterium, just as a bacterium - being alive - can. Different techniques, is all.
Then you are introducing two requirements ... namely living scientists (since dead one's aren't anywhere near as productive in laboratories) and living bacteria (since dead bacteria don't appear to respond well to genome transplants).

That's not how bacteria do it. They synthesize the chemicals of a new bacterium, chemical by chemical, and then split it off. They don't "give rise to".
Oh, you mean like "parent cells"?
 
And the causal chemical functions whch result in life.
Yes, the hockey mask fracas of abiogenetic theory.

At least it is a narrative, regardless of the semantics.
That old ploy doesn't work on me.
What is your narrative? And feel free to use as many superlatives as you like.
I don't know about you, but when I discuss science, I prefer not to rely on narratives.
 
Yes, the hockey mask fracas of abiogenetic theory.
I don't know about you, but when I discuss science, I prefer not to rely on narratives.
Then make a formal scientific presentation for peer review. Make you famous!!!!.......:biggrin:
 
Then make a formal scientific presentation for peer review. Make you famous!!!!.......:biggrin:
I agree, it would.
In the meantime however you are left with a view on consciousness that cannot isolate causal forces and amid the fervour of the beginning ice hockey season.
 
Which would be fine .... if you weren't also proposing that your favoured model for discerning evidence on the subject necessarily excludes all others ...
You mean... empiricism?
I guess the scientific community is fortunate that your opinions are thoroughly disregarded.
Doesn't matter. The scientific community supports evidence, and there is no evidence for dualism.
 
Then you are introducing two requirements ... namely living scientists (since dead one's aren't anywhere near as productive in laboratories) and living bacteria (since dead bacteria don't appear to respond well to genome transplants).
I didn't introduce them. They appeared automatically in the word "synthesis". https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/synthesis
Oh, you mean like "parent cells"?
Yep. Metaphor is metaphor.
The word will be used to describe some scientist who synthesizes a bacterial cell, also - bet?
 
I didn't introduce them. They appeared automatically in the word "synthesis". https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/synthesis
Given that a bacteria without reproductive capacities (such as a dead one) spells the end of synthesis via genome transplants, there seems to be an obvious detail you are overlooking

Yep. Metaphor is metaphor.
The word will be used to describe some scientist who synthesizes a bacterial cell, also - bet?
If this is humour, you are good.
If it's not humour, it is still quite funny.
 
Since you are rejecting what is observable, no.


It does. Scientists don't knock on your front door to check if their latest advancements disturb the status quo of your 19th century conceptions of science.
You observed a mind?
 
What's that supposed to mean? ...Of course I'm up on all the latest in scientifical endeavours:
436px-Spirit_rappings_coverpage_to_sheet_music_1853.jpg
 
I agree, it would.
In the meantime however you are left with a view on consciousness that cannot isolate causal forces and amid the fervour of the beginning ice hockey season.
And what do you think is causal to the fervour of the beginning ice hockey season? Dopamine!
This season we're going to be champion!!!. Hip, hip, hooray!!!!
 
Given that a bacteria without reproductive capacities (such as a dead one) spells the end of synthesis via genome transplants, there seems to be an obvious detail you are overlooking
And what detail would that be? Lack of consciousness and cognition?
 
Yep. Metaphor is metaphor.
The word will be used to describe some scientist who synthesizes a bacterial cell, also - bet?
- - - - - -
If this is humour, you are good.
If it's not humour, it is still quite funny.
Taking the bet, or not?

btw: "father" means "parent". So does "mother" - which is used for bacteria synthesizers, on occasion:
One of the bacterial cells, referred to as the ‘mother’, squeezes all the liquid water out of the other cell, referred to as the daughter, immediately after mitosis. The ‘daughter’ becomes like a hard crystal with all the organelles arranged in a certain order.

The mother also coats the daughter in a spore case made of calcium dipicolinate and protein. The calcium dipicolinate protects the inside of the daughter from heat and chemical attack. Then the ‘mother’ cell dies.
That particular synthesis is not called "reproduction", btw.
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-spore-formation-in-bacteria-not-considered-a-form-of-reproduction
 
Last edited:
And what do you think is causal to the fervour of the beginning ice hockey season? Dopamine!
This season we're going to be champion!!!. Hip, hip, hooray!!!!
A brilliant example of life imitating art.
 
Back
Top