Interesting article

About the shape and function of different specimens
Post Reply
Message
Author
Harold
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm

Interesting article

#1 Post by Harold » Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:39 am

This article seemed particularly germane to some of the discussions here lately.

https://aeon.co/essays/the-study-of-the ... ket-newtab

PeteM
Posts: 2983
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:22 am
Location: N. California

Re: Interesting article

#2 Post by PeteM » Tue Oct 26, 2021 5:11 am

Thanks for that link.

User avatar
patta
Posts: 402
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 6:01 am
Location: Stavanger Norway
Contact:

Re: Interesting article

#3 Post by patta » Tue Oct 26, 2021 7:21 am

That is nice

Harold
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm

Re: Interesting article

#4 Post by Harold » Tue Oct 26, 2021 10:30 pm

You're welcome. It seemed to articulate many of the same questions that have arisen in this forum about the "apparently purposeful" behavior of the simplest organism on earth. The author seems to imply that the fundamental building blocks of cognition, recognition, evaluation, and response, may be part and parcel of all living organisms from the very beginnings of life on this planet. And that is a staggering concept both intellectually and philosophically.

PeteM
Posts: 2983
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 6:22 am
Location: N. California

Re: Interesting article

#5 Post by PeteM » Wed Oct 27, 2021 1:12 am

Next up, do protists have free will?

FWIW, research shows that we humans make up our minds at a subconscious level before consciously "deciding."

Dubious
Posts: 426
Joined: Sun May 09, 2021 7:55 pm

Re: Interesting article

#6 Post by Dubious » Wed Oct 27, 2021 4:50 am

The question then should be, do humans really have free will? Probably in about the same way as protists...

A thought-provoking article.

MichaelG.
Posts: 3976
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:24 am
Location: North Wales

Re: Interesting article

#7 Post by MichaelG. » Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:06 am

Thank you for the link, Harold

… somehow I missed your post yesterday :oops:

MichaelG.
Too many 'projects'

charlie g
Posts: 1831
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 7:54 pm

Re: Interesting article

#8 Post by charlie g » Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:23 pm

Thank you, Harold for a great article link. For me it gave loose overviews of a diverse number of streams of research..and historical and rather contemporary workers opinions on how to view the direction of their fields of study.

But I am puzzled that the articles author ' thinks it outrageous that there is no dominant theory today'to frame all this joyous complexity. As a student and benefactor of Charles Darwins work and speculations...I sense the living world we share makes sense to have had both incremental development of community interactions, communications, 'clock-work oranges' with emerging cognitions, and onto to self-awareness, and AI. Abrupt disruptions by biologic, geologic,and astronomical event ( will a sturdy umbrella work when next huge comet strikes?) insert often into our worlds deep time incremental progress to self awareness and mind.

Ray Bradberry short story: " dial double zero" sums up your shared article...the U.S. telephone network becomes so complicated and layered with switches and relays...that at one node in this huge system..intelligence occurs. Whoa to that one unlucky telephone subscriber to whom this telephone intelligence selects to call repeatedly, to learn about it's existence.

The depth of time that our living world flourished as unicell, virus, and prokaryote...it makes sense to me that increments of our cognitions were being forged, along with partnerships. I just do not see it as 'outrageous' that we to date have no one agreed theory of mind.

Sara Teasdale :"There will come soft rains"...Not one would mind, neither bird or tree, if mankind perished utterly. And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn, would scarcely know that we were gone."

thanks for this link, charlie g

Harold
Posts: 168
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 pm

Re: Interesting article

#9 Post by Harold » Thu Oct 28, 2021 12:04 am

I think the reason these questions are so resistant to a clear, concise answers is that they nibble at the edges of our own insecurity about our place in all of it. Probably also why they are so unsettling to many.

DonSchaeffer
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:06 am
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Re: Interesting article

#10 Post by DonSchaeffer » Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:44 am

The reason machines don't achieve self awareness is that have no self-interest. They have no aims and no attitudes.

Post Reply