One of the biggest questions philosophers are faced with is “How do we know we are conscious or not?”. The question cannot easily be answered know if we aren’t fully aware of consciousness itself. An easy way to interpret this concept is a quote from an Indian philosopher when he made a comparison of an eye not being able to look at itself (Solomon, 2008, p. 19), which means that we can understand the world with the use of it, but we cannot understand consciousness itself. I will argue in this paper that the life-like robot Harold is conscious because he is aware of his own existence and the existence of the world around him.
First let me introduce the subject Harold, he is a life-like robot, which looks, acts and responds like an ordinary …show more content…
Descartes believed that it is impossible to deny the existence of your own mind while using the same mind to deny it, therefore proving that it does exist (Pojman, 2004, p.287). However this does support that Harold does “exist” and it also indirectly supports he is conscious as well. Francis Bacon, an English philosopher stated that “existing is primary and consciousness is secondary” ("Reality Is Absolute: The Primacy of Existence", 2001). This means that consciousness depends on existence, in that to be conscious one must perceive or understand that something exists ("Reality Is Absolute: The Primacy of Existence", 2001). Harold being aware of his existence to question or understand a concept such as consciousness proves he is …show more content…
Thinking, is the determinant to consciousness in that it is the use of one’s mind to reason, interpret, remember and make decisions based on making connections from previous knowledge. Scientists define whether a person is conscious or unconscious if they are able to make connections quickly or slowly in their brain ("What is consciousness? A scientist's perspective.” 2013). For example when a person is sleeping or under anesthetic , the signals between neurons are slower and cannot pass through as efficiently as someone who is awake. After Harold heard the term “conscious” he started to questions his own consciousness. For Harold to be able to question this concept, it proves he is able to make connections. Harold also showed the ability to apply connection to himself and the world around him, which leads to the conclusion he is
First let me introduce the subject Harold, he is a life-like robot, which looks, acts and responds like an ordinary …show more content…
Descartes believed that it is impossible to deny the existence of your own mind while using the same mind to deny it, therefore proving that it does exist (Pojman, 2004, p.287). However this does support that Harold does “exist” and it also indirectly supports he is conscious as well. Francis Bacon, an English philosopher stated that “existing is primary and consciousness is secondary” ("Reality Is Absolute: The Primacy of Existence", 2001). This means that consciousness depends on existence, in that to be conscious one must perceive or understand that something exists ("Reality Is Absolute: The Primacy of Existence", 2001). Harold being aware of his existence to question or understand a concept such as consciousness proves he is …show more content…
Thinking, is the determinant to consciousness in that it is the use of one’s mind to reason, interpret, remember and make decisions based on making connections from previous knowledge. Scientists define whether a person is conscious or unconscious if they are able to make connections quickly or slowly in their brain ("What is consciousness? A scientist's perspective.” 2013). For example when a person is sleeping or under anesthetic , the signals between neurons are slower and cannot pass through as efficiently as someone who is awake. After Harold heard the term “conscious” he started to questions his own consciousness. For Harold to be able to question this concept, it proves he is able to make connections. Harold also showed the ability to apply connection to himself and the world around him, which leads to the conclusion he is