How do you define consciousness? Your framing in the essay makes me think you mean something akin to the "mirror test" -- the ability to recognize self. But dogs, cats, and pandas fail this test, and we generally consider them conscious beings.
IMO when we talk about "conscious beings", we mean something like "entities that experience the world similarly to humans", and the category of conscious beings typically includes at least all mammals. I would love to know whether you have a good formal definition & test for whatever you mean by consciousness.
How do you define consciousness? Your framing in the essay makes me think you mean something akin to the "mirror test" -- the ability to recognize self. But dogs, cats, and pandas fail this test, and we generally consider them conscious beings.
IMO when we talk about "conscious beings", we mean something like "entities that experience the world similarly to humans", and the category of conscious beings typically includes at least all mammals. I would love to know whether you have a good formal definition & test for whatever you mean by consciousness.