Consciousness is not tied to carbon-based chemistry. This is the conclusion of a new philosophical work in which scientists explore the question of consciousness in extraterrestrial and artificial life forms. If there are thousands of civilizations in the universe with different biology, considering consciousness to be an exclusively Earth-based property is just as unfounded as once considering Earth to be the center of the universe.
Copernican principle
Philosophers Eric Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober of the University of California, Riverside, argue that consciousness is not tied to a specific physical medium and can arise in various physical substrates. Just as a cup can be made of glass or plastic, and a book can be made of paper or be electronic, this property does not require a single chemical medium.
The authors base their argument on an analogy with the Copernican principle in astronomy. Nicolaus Copernicus and his successors consistently demonstrated that the Earth is not the center of the Solar System, the galaxy, or the universe. The researchers extend this logic to consciousness and introduce the concept of the “Copernican principle of consciousness.” Therefore, the authors consider the view that consciousness is a privilege exclusive to terrestrial organisms to be a form of “terrocentrism.”
Diversity in the Universe
According to conservative estimates by Eric Schwizgebel and Jeremy Pober, at least a thousand civilizations featuring behaviorally advanced life forms have existed at various times within the observable universe. Astrobiologists have long been studying hypothetical life forms based on alternative amino acids and solvents.
The authors do not claim that exotic extraterrestrial life definitely exists. Their argument is more modest. Their point is that if nature has produced such a diversity of nervous systems even on Earth—where octopuses, insects, and vertebrates process information in fundamentally different ways—then it is entirely reasonable to expect similar diversity in other parts of the universe.
Artificial Intelligence
This inevitably raises the question of artificial intelligence. The authors’ views on this matter differ. Jeremy Pober believes that current computer hardware is incapable of supporting consciousness. Substrate flexibility does not mean that consciousness can arise anywhere.
Eric Schwizgebel takes a broader view. If we abandon the idea that consciousness requires human biology specifically, it becomes difficult to justify excluding silicon-based systems solely on the basis of the material from which they are made. He also notes that the philosophical debate has so far focused too much on whether silicon can replicate the human brain, rather than on the broader question of which systems are capable of consciousness in general.
What consciousness might look like
Researchers distinguish between precisely defined properties and broader categories. The question of whether human consciousness could arise in a different medium is too narrow, as it likely depends on many specific aspects of our species’ biology.
The broader category of consciousness is less specific, the authors note. The authors draw the following analogy. Asking whether an eagle can fly exactly like an eagle in a different body is different from asking whether flight is possible at all in various forms. Hummingbirds, bats, and insects fly in different ways, but they all fly. Consciousness, too, can manifest in various forms without replicating the human version.
According to phys.org
