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Osafune t1_j387zid wrote

Reply to comment by Brandyforandy in The Persistent Problem of Consciousness: an astronaut's epiphany by simsquatched

Different person here but I think "part of" is the key phrase here. Is life part of the universe "looking back at itself?" Well, yes it is. But life is only part of the universe. The universe itself as a whole is not conscious and "looking back at itself." Just like Reddit as a whole is not necessarily interested in philosophy just because some individual members are.

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Brandyforandy t1_j38vjr6 wrote

I don't think it was ever said the universe as a whole is conscious, only that we represent the consciousness of the universe.

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Osafune t1_j38ynkr wrote

What you were saying ("the universe itself want us to explore it", "the consciousness of the universe") was implying otherwise to me.

I mean, I would only consider those statements I quoted to be true in a poetic or metaphorical way.

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Brandyforandy t1_j39ef0h wrote

'The universe itself want us to explore it' was meant in a poetic and exploratory way. In a more factual way I would say 'We are the universe exploring itself, therefore the universe want to explore itself, because we are part of the universe' If that were not true we would not have the urge of curiosity and exploration, novelty. I am fully aware that we developed this through evolution, and i argue that it is not we as a species who have evolved, but the universe who evolved into a more advanced phase.

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