Everybody wants science to cure cancer, but the moment someone does foundational research they lose their fuckin minds.
Guys, the alternative is cutting up mice and pigs.Yeah, this is pretty far below the level of a mouse even, typically
Unless you go for Cartesian dualist theories about immaterial souls, consciousness of the sort we experience is an artefact of the structure of our brains and nervous systems, which are large in scale and complex. A small blob of human-derived brain tissue is not going to have consciousness, let alone self-awareness and a sense of horror at its predicament, any more than a 555 timer is capable of playing DOOM by virtue of being made of silicon.
At what point do brain cells develop the complexity for consciousness? Is there a specific number of brain cells which produces self-awareness?
I have a difficult time believing that consciousness is some artifact that arises from material “complexity and structure”, and tend towards the nondual view of reality.
But that is just my opinion, and what makes consciousness such a fascinating subject imo.
I don’t think it’s the number of cells inasmuch it’s the connectedness. A baby has as many, if not more than you, and yet they’re dumb. They’re learning.
I think it’s safer to go by when childhood amnesia disappears, and that’s when the pruning process of removing unnecessary connections and adding other ones, has sufficently advanced. To the point that it slows down, and memories can stay for much longer.
That’s generally around 3 to 6 years of age, or 36-72 months after birth. On average, 56 months (4.7 years).
