Vědomí mezi Světy a jiné povídky – Jakeš Václav (2024)

Why did consciousness arise and is it an evolutionary advantage for the being known as a human? Is consciousness the ability to experience reality as it is? Is consciousness a property of matter? What is the difference between biological consciousness, inorganic consciousness, and the consciousness of artificial intelligence? Is consciousness, perception, thinking, and information processing solely the domain of the brain? Or is consciousness a part of the universe? ***** You can essentially ask similar questions endlessly, as current knowledge regarding the origin and functioning of consciousness is still in its infancy. While physics, especially quantum physics, mathematics, and the exact sciences are making leaps from theory to theory, advancing knowledge forward, findings about such a fundamental and phenomenal aspect of life as consciousness seem to attract little interest from scientists. ***** It appears that philosophy is in an even worse state, as if it has stagnated. Albert Einstein described consciousness as an integral part of the universe and believed that consciousness permeates everything. The same philosophy was held by proponents of panpsychism, such as Thales, Plato, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Russell. In contrast, solipsism considers human consciousness to be a secondary property of thought and the brain as the only objective processor of information about the world around us. Its supporters included Descartes,…