MT Bennet et al - Why is Anything Conscious?

Join us for an engaging discussion centered around Michael T. Bennett's thought-provoking pre-print, "Why Is Anything Conscious?". 🌌 In this session, we delve into the complexities of the Hard Problem of consciousness. Bennett presents a formal account of how biological systems self-organize to interpret sensory information based on valence—what's beneficial or detrimental to the organism.

He argues that access (functional) consciousness is intertwined with phenomenal consciousness, asserting that philosophical zombies, beings that mimic human behavior without phenomenal consciousness, cannot exist. Bennett also introduces a hierarchy of being, progressing from inert objects to sophisticated learning systems and various degrees of self-awareness. 🐾

Join us for an enlightening conversation that challenges our understanding of consciousness!