Human consciousness & intelligence - why?

[kaat]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

Me, I believe that we would never progress through whatever difficult journey we have without either. I know this is airy and loose, but so far, that's it. Perhaps, its also prep for the return ... loose & airy

 

[YmirGF]

In the human animal intelligence is likely our greatest weapon, so my guess is that our intelligence grew out of need due to our less than stellar physical prowess. Dovetail intelligence with our physical limitations and you get a relatively unfettered little animal that is utterly helpless for the first few years of life and in animal terms takes a fairly long time to mature.

 

[Liu]

Consciousness or intelligence?
Those refer to two quite distinct things, imo.

Consciousness (i.e. awareness) doesn't seem to have any cause and may not even have an effect. So, no. If it has a cause, then it might be either that our consciousness is limited to this life - then I see no real purpose - or that it also exists before and after - then I'd assume that our consciousness, either on our own volition or forced, gets connected to human life in order to experience it.

For intelligence to have an intended function there must have been something intelligent enough to have an intention and which caused us to become intelligent. I'm not convinced because that would only move the question further into the past, i.e. why did that something have intelligence.
Regarding the use of intelligence, that is easier - being intelligent influences our thought processes and decision making.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

We know of no intended function for consciousness or intelligence - just its survival value. Given that it is possible, it would seem inevitable that if consciousness and then intelligence appeared in the course of the history of the evolution of life on earth, that it would establish itself in any gene pool in which it arose..

How could there be an intended function or purpose to consciousness even if there were a creator of the consciousness and intelligence in our universe? That is, what was the purpose or intended function of consciousness in the first conscious entity, whether it be a natural or supernatural entity?

There could be none. Whether the first consciousness appeared in a godless universe as a byproduct of unguided evolution, or in a god that created that universe and the intelligence in it with a purpose, the first consciousness and intelligence has to exist without any intended function, since there would be no such intender.

this is airy and loose, but so far, that's it. Perhaps, its also prep for the return ... loose & airy

Check your diet.

 

[dfnj]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

We are the Universes way of experiencing itself. We are God's way of experiencing the thrill of having limitations by sharing our experiences of joy and sorrow. God exists to realize His omnipotence. We exist as a small part of God realizing His omnipotence. What makes us enthusiastic makes God enthusiastic. What hurts us hurts God. Our goal is to help ourselves and others be enthusiastic about participating in God's creation. When we die we will look into the face of God and experience eternal heavenly bliss completely enamored with God's infinite beauty. Time will stop, we will no longer have conscious thought, and who we are will return back to the mind of God. Without our consciousness, the Universe has no feelings.

The role of consciousness and intelligence is to realize our relationship to God and the Universe.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

I see the two as mutually exclusive.

Intelligence is the active part of what we are. It is the decision maker, responsible for choice and responsible for action. It is intent. It is the part of us that is temporal.

Consciousness is the observer. It is awareness; passive but immortal. It was here before my intelligence came into being, and it will remain after my intelligence ceases to be.

 

[Windwalker]

Without our consciousness, the Universe has no feelings.

I would not limit this to human consciousness. All sentient beings have consciousness, and prehends the reality in which they exist. The Universe experiences itself as a bunny rabbit as much as it experiences itself as a human.

I think a better way to put this is that without Consciousness itself the universe has no existence, or no reality. And add another layer to this, that what is experienced is an atom reality, a molecule reality, an organic reality, a biological reality, a bunny reality, a human reality, a tree realty, etc. There is no single reality that the human mind can hope to uncover through its expression of that Intelligence. Rather we co-create that reality in which the human perceives itself, and God at the many and various modes of our human awarenesses. We are the multiverse, in other words.

The role of consciousness and intelligence is to realize our relationship to God and the Universe.

The role of intelligence is to for all forms to exist. Our bodies for instance, without the use our our reasoning minds, knows exactly what it needs to do to function marvelously. Evolution intelligently designed them, and all other forms of being. It's not our human brains that make these systems come together to function and survive. That's an Intelligence that goes all the way down and all the way up in everything that has existence.

 

[Quintessence]

Awareness of one's environment ("consciousness" if one must use that word) coupled with the ability to process that stimuli and respond to it ("intelligence" if one must use that word) is a basic requirement of organismal survival.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

Staring at little screens all day, collecting abstract "friends" and little thumbs up.

 

[Liu]

Awareness of one's environment ("consciousness" if one must use that word) coupled with the ability to process that stimuli and respond to it ("intelligence" if one must use that word) is a basic requirement of organismal survival.

I'd differentiate between what you refer to as awareness here and that what I'd normally call awareness or consciousness.
A robot or a single-celled organism also is aware of its environment if its sensors are working, but that doesn't mean it has a consciousness, a subjectivity. Perhaps it does have one, but it's pretty much impossible to tell for sure. Ultimately, I can't even tell for sure whether anyone besides myself has a consciousness.

Being capable of perceiving one's environment of course is a basic necessity for survival, on this I agree.

 

[Quintessence]

A robot or a single-celled organism also is aware of its environment if its sensors are working, but that doesn't mean it has a consciousness, a subjectivity.

I think it's worth remembering that thinking like this is a product of a culture that has been drained of its animistic undercurrents. This statement probably wouldn't be made in a culture that has retained its animistic tendencies. In other words, it's a product of Western philosophical biases to no small extent.

Perhaps it does have one, but it's pretty much impossible to tell for sure. Ultimately, I can't even tell for sure whether anyone besides myself has a consciousness.

Reasons why I eschew the word from my vocabulary entirely. The term seems to be used with an agenda that echoes the Western philosophical biases I mention above, and as an animist, it doesn't jar with me.

Heck, I normally steer completely clear of any thread around here about "consciousness" because the term just irritates me on some deep level... haha.

 

[Liu]

I think it's worth remembering that thinking like this is a product of a culture that has been drained of its animistic undercurrents. This statement probably wouldn't be made in a culture that has retained its animistic tendencies. In other words, it's a product of Western philosophical biases to no small extent.



Reasons why I eschew the word from my vocabulary entirely. The term seems to be used with an agenda that echoes the Western philosophical biases I mention above, and as an animist, it doesn't jar with me.

Heck, I normally steer completely clear of any thread around here about "consciousness" because the term just irritates me on some deep level... haha.

Well I'm a pantheist myself, so I consider it possible that even atoms or quarks have consciousness. But I simply don't know. Why might a tree as a whole be aware, but not a branch of it separately as well? Or simply every single molecule of it on its own?

 

[Fool]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

Me, I believe that we would never progress through whatever difficult journey we have without either. I know this is airy and loose, but so far, that's it. Perhaps, its also prep for the return ... loose & airy

to actualize potential, or realize dreams, and understand that they are always temporal illusions in space/time. you can't stop progress, dreaming.

 

[kaat]

We know of no intended function for consciousness or intelligence - just its survival value. Given that it is possible, it would seem inevitable that if consciousness and then intelligence appeared in the course of the history of the evolution of life on earth, that it would establish itself in any gene pool in which it arose..

How could there be an intended function or purpose to consciousness even if there were a creator of the consciousness and intelligence in our universe? That is, what was the purpose or intended function of consciousness in the first conscious entity, whether it be a natural or supernatural entity?

There could be none. Whether the first consciousness appeared in a godless universe as a byproduct of unguided evolution, or in a god that created that universe and the intelligence in it with a purpose, the first consciousness and intelligence has to exist without any intended function, since there would be no such intender.



Check your diet.

I LOVE THIS ANSWER (it seems the only truly open-minded one)

... check my diet? Pretty much ROTFLMAO. Fwiw, my diet is about as good as I can practically make it ... so, check yours, friend LOL & LOL again. Re-reading, I see I might look mad ... I'm not; I enjoyed every word of your answer.

 

[kaat]

Staring at little screens all day, collecting abstract "friends" and little thumbs up.

Truly LOL. Then almost crying. All you mobile users - have you not heard the latest - your device knows your moods, and is affecting you MENTALLY. I'm so glad I never used one. I got this info from our national public broadcaster about 2 wks ago (CBC Radio 1).

Re: moods - say, you're on your way to city hall, and in a foul mood. IF, just IF, anyone is watching, they have a tactical advantage. I'll say no more.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

Me, I believe that we would never progress through whatever difficult journey we have without either. I know this is airy and loose, but so far, that's it. Perhaps, its also prep for the return ... loose & airy

We are the only means we know of, by which the universe is able to contemplate and appreciate it's own existence ... so from a wider perspective I'd say that is the purpose of our sentience- But the ultimate purpose for being able to do this, is another very interesting question-

 

[sayak83]

Okay, deep breath ... If there is an intended function / role / use for our consciousness and intelligence, what do you think it is?

Me, I believe that we would never progress through whatever difficult journey we have without either. I know this is airy and loose, but so far, that's it. Perhaps, its also prep for the return ... loose & airy

Have more of us?

 

[kaat]

I may as well state clearly what I've been thinking ...

I think we don't yet really know what this amazing brain will do. I wonder if we will end up realizing that, in fact, we are God; always were. By 'we' I mean all life everywhere in the universe. I've long had a little phrase that I like, which goes something like: "We are the designer, the design, and the designed".

Did anyone see Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar"? It made me think a lot

 

[kaat]

We are the only means we know of, by which the universe is able to contemplate and appreciate it's own existence ... so from a wider perspective I'd say that is the purpose of our sentience- But the ultimate purpose for being able to do this, is another very interesting question-

That's awesome, and something I've not explored.

 

[kaat]

Have more of us?

I plan to start a thread on Biocentrism. I feel it may be a breakthrough, though so far suspiciously received. It could very much relate to the thoughts expressed here. Check it out.