this post was submitted on 12 Jun 2026
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[–] Miller@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

My point is that if you do accept that human consciousness is a special case then you would still need a word for that level of sentience, and why not keep consciousness as that word and find another for the more general appreciation of environment that non-human terrestrial organisms possess. In truth I think there is already a word for that general condition and the word is life, I think an awareness of your place and a feeling for its beauty is a defining characteristic of all life.

[–] Hegar@fedia.io 2 points 2 weeks ago

I think part of the idea of this theory is that much of life shares the key elements that make up the scientific definition of consciousness.

I personally don't see value in preserving the popular definition of consciousness as the human soul, but regardless of personal takes i hope we can agree that scientific theories should be based on the scientific use of the term.