Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!duke!unc!mcnc!ecsvax!unbent
From: unbent@ecsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: re: transcendental recursion
Message-ID: <1457@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 31-Oct-83 16:18:58 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.1457
Posted: Mon Oct 31 16:18:58 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Nov-83 07:43:40 EST
Lines: 21

i'm also new on this net, but this item seemed like
a good one to get my feet wet with.
     if we're going to pursue the topic of consciousness
vs intelligence, i think it's important not to get
confused about consciousness vs *self*-consciousness at
the beginning.  there's a perfectly clear sense in which
any *sentient* being is "conscious"--i.e., conscious *of*
changes in its environment.  but i have yet to see any
good reason for supposing that cats, rats, bats, etc.
are *self*-conscious, e.g., conscious of their own
states of consciousness.  "introspective" or "self-
monitoring" capacity goes along with self-consciousness,
but i see no particular reason to suppose that it has
anything special to do with *consciousness* per se.
     as long as i'm sticking my neck out, let me throw
in a cautionary note about confusing intelligence and
adaptability.  cockroaches are as adaptable as all get
out, but not terribly intelligent; and we all know some
very intelligent folks who can't adapt to novelties at
all.
                      --jay rosenberg (escvax!unbent)