Evolutionary pressures and a stable world for animals and robots: a commentary on Merker.
Consciousness and Cognition March 2005 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2004.09.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Merker argues that consciousness provides a stable arena for action and that this property drove the evolution of consciousness. The commentary explores the implications of this claim for consciousness in artificial agents and animals, and considers possible objections to the evolutionary pressure argument. |
Abstract
In his article on The Liabilities of Mobility, asserts that "Consciousness presents us with a stable arena for our actions-the world ..." and argues for this property as providing evolutionary pressure for the evolution of consciousness. In this commentary, I will explore the implications of Merker's ideas for consciousness in artificial agents as well as animals, and also meet some possible objections to his evolutionary pressure claim.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- EVOLUTIONARY PRESSURES FOR PERCEPTUAL STABILITY AND SELF AS GUIDES TO MACHINE CONSCIOUSNESS International Journal of Machine Consciousness May 19, 2009
- RESILIENT ARCHITECTURES TO FACILITATE BOTH FUNCTIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND PHENOMENAL CONSCIOUSNESS IN MACHINES International Journal of Machine Consciousness December 1, 2009
- An evaluation of means of inquiry into the biological evolution of consciousness UC Research Repository 2010
- The evolutionary and genetic origins of consciousness in the Cambrian Period over 500 million years ago. Frontiers in Psychology October 4, 2013
- Subjective experience is probably not limited to humans: the evidence from neurobiology and behavior. Consciousness and Cognition March 2005