Is evolved "consciousness" and "intelligence" just two words for the same thing?
What's the difference between a fictional mammal with an evolved "consciousness" and a fictional mammal without evolved "consciousness"?
The fictional mammal without consciousness acts purely on biological imperative instinct, those of the species with instincts bad for their current environment end up naturally dying, those who don't die pass on their genes.
The fictional mammal with an evolved consciousness, also, acts on pure biological imperative instinct. But this little evolved trait (consciousness) is a feedback loop of sort. If that instinct resulted in a positive outcome (dopamine, oxytocin, etc), the consciousness tells the self (ego, mind, whatever you want to call it) it made the correct choice. If an instinct results in a negative outcome, the consciousness tells the self that it lost control, it actually didn't make that choice.
Why is this significant for evolutionary survival? It allows the mammal to learn, if its instincts are not adapted well for its environment, it won't just die, it can change.
What's the difference between a fictional mammal with an evolved "consciousness" and a fictional mammal without evolved "consciousness"?
The fictional mammal without consciousness acts purely on biological imperative instinct, those of the species with instincts bad for their current environment end up naturally dying, those who don't die pass on their genes.
The fictional mammal with an evolved consciousness, also, acts on pure biological imperative instinct. But this little evolved trait (consciousness) is a feedback loop of sort. If that instinct resulted in a positive outcome (dopamine, oxytocin, etc), the consciousness tells the self (ego, mind, whatever you want to call it) it made the correct choice. If an instinct results in a negative outcome, the consciousness tells the self that it lost control, it actually didn't make that choice.
Why is this significant for evolutionary survival? It allows the mammal to learn, if its instincts are not adapted well for its environment, it won't just die, it can change.
