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    Carmelics

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    Made withinDC&Austin
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    Home/Original/inverse
    See Original
    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Evolutionary arguments establish that phenomenal consciousness was selected for, providing strong empirical grounds that it is causally efficacious.

    ?Set your confidence on the premises below to see your aggregate.

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Selection may have favored information-processing systems whose causal work occurs at neural level, not phenomenal level.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.We lack evidence that phenomenal properties (redness, painfulness) do causal work distinct from their physical substrates.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Metabolic investment in consciousness could be byproduct of selecting other causally efficacious features like memory and attention.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Natural selection only preserves traits that causally impact survival or reproduction; consciousness persists across species.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Organisms with richer phenomenal experiences demonstrate superior behavioral flexibility and adaptive decision-making.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.The metabolic cost of consciousness implies it provides fitness benefits that epiphenomenalism cannot explain.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

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    Strongest counterpoint
    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.