philosophers are not content with mechanical "operational principles" — Gnomon
Philosophy has no "settled questions" — Gnomon
Nevertheless, pragmatic scientists are still working on a Consciousness Meter to update the crude EEGs and somewhat more sophisticated MRIs. They are even using Artificial Intelligence to search for signs of Consciousness in Natural Intelligences that appear to be anaesthetic (unconscious). — Gnomon
Yes. Some plants, such as touch-me-not & venus flytrap, are "sentient" in a very limited sense. They sense and react to touch. But we don't usually think of them as Conscious. However, the typical scientific concept of Consciousness places it on a continuum from minimal sentience to Einsteinian intelligence. Nevertheless, some philosophers still imagine that Consciousness is something special & unique like a Soul. So, the OP seems to be searching for a physical mechanism that produces Self-Awareness. Yet, it's the last step on the continuum from Sentience to Consciousness that has, so far, resisted encapsulation.Consciousness and Sentience are sometimes used interchangeably. But "sentience" literally refers to sensing the environment. And AI can already to that. — Gnomon
Let's stick to "consciousness" then :) — enqramot
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