Layers of self awareness and animal cognition

In the last consciousness post, which discussed issues with panpsychism and simple definitions of consciousness, I laid out five functional layers of cognition which I find helpful when trying to think about systems that are more or less conscious.  Just to recap, those layers are: Reflexes, primal reactions to stimuli. Perception, sensory models of the … Continue reading Layers of self awareness and animal cognition

When should we consider an AI a fellow being?

Fears of AI (artificial intelligence) are still showing up the media, most recently with another quote from Stephen Hawking warning that it might be the end of us, with Elon Musk, due to his own anxious statements, now being referenced whenever the subject comes up.  I've written many times before why I think these fears … Continue reading When should we consider an AI a fellow being?

Babies Have Self-Awareness From The Minute They’re Born (STUDY)

Babies Have Self-Awareness From The Minute They're Born (STUDY). This is a significant discovery.  Previously it wasn't thought that babies had self awareness until around 18 months.  More evidence that our brains come with a lot of preprogramming, that we are not born blank slates. It also calls into question the previous gold standard of … Continue reading Babies Have Self-Awareness From The Minute They’re Born (STUDY)