[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Originally Posted by David

There are two pieces of evidence regarding paramecia. They can be reversibly anaesthetised by anaesthetic gasses, and there is some evidence that they can be taught.

You can do both of those things to a computer. What do they have to do with consciounsess?

Regarding your first point, there is a difference between something being difficult, and being impossible in principle. I know we will not agree on this, but I am fairly sure that it is impossible in principle to create a mental world out of physical matter - because you can never cross that bridge between physical matter just doing what it does, and something that experiences things.

If only you would define what it means to "experience something," we might be able to agree on this point.

There is no proof of these things - partly, I feel, because words like consciousness and experience get subtly redefined to fit the materialist viewpoint.

Here is your chance to define consciousness the way you want, without my distorting it. So ... what is consciousness again?

~~ Paul