[Starboy]

Quote by: jeffl Consciousness, as an emergent property of complex systems, is not a simple phenomenon. Evolution did not move in a straight line toward intellectual perception in the human animal; and it might be that the intellectual product of consciousness might be attainable by some simpler mechanism that itself skirts the dynamics necessary to be considered actually conscious. This is why i don't think the Turing test is up to the task. This is also why i think it's possible for the human animal to evolve toward an intellectual but non-conscious creature; and it would be a shame if that happened in a manipulative context. And also why Occam's razor should not be too quickly applied to the potential ground of conscious perception.

What does this post have to do with Ockham's razor? Did you just throw that in there to add what you presume to be gravitas to your post? My bet is that you don’t even know what Ockham’s razor is. Fact is there is no well accepted definition of the term. People just make up their own version to justify their own biases. It is yet more philosophical gibberish.

It's like we start out conscious but not intellectual, so we need ritual; and then we get intellectual and tradition becomes a danger, as it provides an opportunity to evolve away from conscious freedom.

What are you talking about? Are you presuming that a perfect intellect would have no choice? That would only be the case if that intellect possessed perfect knowledge. I suppose it never occurred to you that it is not possible for a perfect intellect to know if it has perfect knowledge. Thus it will most likely be forced or required at some time in its life to make a choice that in the end is either the result of unconscious desires, educated guess or random chance.

Starboy