Are atoms conscious?

[Runewolf1973]

Do you believe that atoms are "conscious"? Can an atom be considered "alive"? Why or why not? It is my understanding that atoms are vibrational, animate, have the ability to act and react, and even have their own way of "reproducing". Consider the first atom that ever existed, it must have reproduced in some way in order to make more atoms and molecules would it not have? Perhaps it is not life as we know it, but is it possible that a single atom has the force in it that is life, consciousness?

 

[3.14]

no though a collection of atoms could house a conciousness a single atom canno't

ps
were did you get the idee that there was one's only 1 atom?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Perhaps atoms likened to "hardware" produces "software" called consciousness.

 

[Don Penguinoini]

I don't think so. I know jack about science, but it does not respire, reproduce or grow.

 

[Seven]

I would say no on the grounds that our consciousness seems to be a product of our brain state from moment to moment. It's caused by neuron firings, which in turn can be reduced to chemistry, which can again be reduced to the physics of individual atoms.
In other words it only exists as the overall state of a complex interacting system.

 

[47Wasps]

I don't think I fully understand your argument.

This is how I see it.
At this moment,I am drinking tea.And I am drinking it from a mug.Its a rather nice mug,but...Its not conscious.Its not aware of its existence;it lacks the ability to interpret data from its surroundings or do more than harmonic memory. In short,its not alive.Yet,its made of atoms.And if each atom were conscious,than my mug would be a great big collection of entities,thinking and processing their purpose or instinctively fulfilling it.And I don't believe it is.

The action/reaction of atoms is chemically based,and they combine with each other in order to become more stable by sharing valence electrons,forming molecular bonds. Its not a willful act of sharing between two atoms.Also,it is impossible to create matter,so I don't know how atoms would "reproduce"

 

[JMorris]

i think its an intresting idea

 

[fallenangel101]

it's an interesting idea but i don't necessarily agree with it.
atoms are the building blocks of life, so they can't be life itself.

 

[JMorris]

no though a collection of atoms could house a conciousness a single atom canno't

ps
were did you get the idee that there was one's only 1 atom?

i agree with the top part. from what i understand, there arent a set number of atoms. they just split up and move around to make different elements. jumble the protons/electrons/neutrons around

 

[JMorris]

isnt it sub-atomic particles that react to being observed? i dont know alot about that, but it does seem to be some sort of awareness, but maybe im wrong?

 

[fallenangel101]

well i just think that a single atom cannot be "alive" or "conscious". because if atoms are the building blocks of life then there has to be more then one to create consciousness.

 

[JMorris]

seems reasonable

 

[Runewolf1973]

I guess I just don't buy into the whole idea that consciousness can arise out of matter that is not conscious simply by being arranged in a particular order.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Consciousness is an emergent phenomenon which arises from the complex interaction of billions of neurons and trillions of synaptic connections. A single atom doesn't have the requisite complexity for anything close to consciousness to emerge.

 

[JMorris]

on a sub-atomic isnt everything connected? again im not sure, but if so, would that be complex enough to form consciousness?

 

[Runewolf1973]

Consciousness is an emergent phenomenon which arises from the complex interaction of billions of neurons and trillions of synaptic connections. A single atom doesn't have the requisite complexity for anything close to consciousness to emerge.

Perhaps an atom is more complex than scientists think it is.

Does that consciousness arise out of those complex interactions, is that energy "created", or does it merely make it more apparent that it's there? Perhaps the consciousness was there all along, it just took some complex interactions for us be able to physically see it as in life forms.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Runewolf,

Though have not reached that level.

But, however, Since CONSCIOUSNESS is what everything starts with then surely Logically even atoms are part of that consciousness.
Love & rgds

 

[Twilight Hue]

Perhaps an atom is more complex than scientists think it is.

True. There is a lot more to discover yet. Not much past protons, neutrons, and electrons with the protons having different properties than the neutron yet they can change charges one becoming the other. The composition of atoms are largely unknown save for quarks and gluon's. Guess its quantum here on out.

 

[Runewolf1973]

True. There is a lot more to discover yet. Not much past protons, neutrons, and electrons with the protons having different properties than the neutron yet they can change charges one becoming the other. The composition of atoms are largely unknown save for quarks and gluon's. Guess its quantum here on out.

I wonder if life forms can go so small as to be considered "quantum"? Life forms smaller than even bacteria. Perhaps there are quantum bacteria that live and feed off of normal bacteria. Sounds kinda funny, but is it is possible?

 

[JMorris]

sounds plausible