MikeyC777

All things have a prior cause, but that includes completely random events. So we can not determine the future as we do not know what the future random events might be. Even the universe arising from nothing had a cause, a completely random event where something arose from nothing.

The answer to this is simpler than people think. First, why do we have any attribute? Because the process of natural section works this way. Consciousness therefore exists because it has a use to survival. Sure, we could walk, talk, smile and eat without actually being aware. We could respond to pain in the same way but never actually know about it. We could even study science but not know we are studying science. Then why do we need to be conscious or be a witness to all of this? Back to my first point because this attribute of consciousness must have been selected as a positive attribute to living rather than something killing us off. So why? The answer is simple. . It relates to our ability to show empathy to other being who we also correctly assume have this attribute of consciousness. As an individual conscious agent knows other agents are also consciousness and therefore can also feel and be aware of the same emotions such as pain and hunger it would change the way each agent acts towards other agents. If there is a plant in the garden which we of course know is not consciousness you will happily eat it, pick its flowers, step on it or do what ever. If you suddenly became aware this plant had consciousness and was aware of what you were doing, you would think twice about stepping on it or eating the plant. If the plant suddenly became fully consciousness and somehow you knew this its very likely you will never kill it again in the same manner and perhaps encourage the growth of more consciousness plants. By the plant suddenly becoming consciousness it has increased its chance of survival straight off. So now to humans. If humans had no consciousness then what possible reason would one person have to another person to not kill or eat that person if it suited the situation. After all when there is no awareness to either party it really is a non issue killing or chopping the hand off of another person to eat. However, as we have consciousness and we know what we feel pain and just being aware of existence alone we also have evolved traint of empathy where this blocks us from just killing another consciousness being as we know they think alike us. We know their family members who also conscious think alike as well, and perhaps the over all negative impact of killing another consciousness being would be negative for both our own well being and survival. Without consciousness either agent would show no issue knocking off the other person if it helped their survival. Its only this attribute of consciousness which prevents this. The more consciousness our ancestors became the greater the increase in the chance of surviving as a species followed. At this point some could argue all this could still operate without being aware of it operating at all. However, that is simply not true, the very existence of consciousness, through empathy to other agents with consciousness is the only reason we perform certain actions which otherwise would not be the case. It is these actions which have help a single agent survive along with whole groups of agents grow and prosper and evolve as a species. Imagine a virus spread throughout the world which made everyone a sociopath or psychopath where by empathy was eliminated. That is an agent would have zero feelings for their actions on other humans. This would actually nullify any use of consciousness. The world could continue in the same state even with consciousness but with no empathy, consciousness would have no use. Then without consciousness all the benefits it brings to group survival would be lost and the human species would regress back to a lower species where the benefits of consciousness as just explained are not needed for that level of species.. Consciousness is the fuel behind empathy, and empty is the fuel being the evolution of humans. As evolution continues and consciousness moves to higher levels the value attached to this attribute will become more significant. If an AI program ever is able to display signs of being consciousness it will mean its less likely we delete the program out of compassion. And there is is, by the piece of software becoming consciousness we have chosen not to delete it, directly showing how the attribute helps survival through natural selection. I wonder what other states or properties which just arise like consciousness that we can't possibly imagine as humans could exist in the future (or already exist) which could also assist in its evolutionary path. The options are endless... Before that it would be wonderful to know the biological of how just consciousness arises in the first place... For now, I feel we know why it does, just not how. Mike