Saturday Apr 02, 2022

Dr. Arthur Reber claims cells are sentient

In this episode I begin my investigation into the topic of consciousness with an interview. The field of consciousness research is broad and interdisciplinary, with active researchers in philosophy, psychology, physics, neuro-biology, computer science, and even theology. My first interview is a psychologist who wrote a book claiming that bacteria are sentient.

Dr. Arthur Reber is an American cognitive psychologist, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), a Fulbright Fellow, and an avid curling fan. Known for introducing the concept of implicit learning and for using basic principles of evolutionary biology to show how implicit or unconscious cognitive functions differ in fundamental ways from those carried out consciously. His most recent work has been on the "Cellular Basis of Consciousness" theory that maintains that all life is sentient, including unicellular organisms.

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Comments (4)

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It’s chemical reactions all the way down. Many would say that free will is just an illusion for these reasons. Bertrand Russell suggests that this doesn’t mean you do things you don’t want, it’s just that your decisions are based on earlier factors.

Monday Apr 11, 2022

At a cellular level, isn’t it all just chemical reactions? Molecular activities under the direction of the cell’s DNA? Doesn’t consciousness by definition need to include a free will? An awareness of the self that includes some level of agency?

Sunday Apr 10, 2022

But how do we get there from ‘inanimate’ constituents?

Wednesday Apr 06, 2022

I’ve been thinking that all surviving beings, whether simple or complex, are alive and conscious of their struggle to live. The sum total of my cells makes me. Me and my cells are One.

Tuesday Apr 05, 2022