Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1

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The old primary argument against panpsychism has now become the primary argument for it (self.showerthoughts)

submitted 8 months ago by canihasaccount to c/showerthoughts

19 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Panpsychism is the idea that everything is conscious to some degree (which, to be clear, isn't what I think). In the past, the common response to the idea was, "So, rocks are conscious?" This argument was meant to illustrate the absurdity of panpsychism.

Now, we have made rocks represent pins and switches, enabling us to use them as computers. We made them complex enough that we developed neural networks and created large language models--the most complex of which have nodes that represent space, time, and the abstraction of truth, according to some papers. So many people are convinced these things are conscious, which has many suggesting that everything may be conscious to some degree.

In other words, the possibility of rocks being conscious is now commonly used to argue in favor of panpsychism, when previously it was used to argue against it.

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[–] radix 19 points 8 months ago (3 children)

A rock with no electricity is just a rock. Meat with no electricity is just a body. Electricity is the only conscious thing there is.

[–] canihasaccount 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Interesting take! Is lightning conscious, then? The idea of Thor isn't too far off if so, haha.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

Considering how "fuck you in particular" lightning can be...maybe.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I think any force will produce results if harnessed.

Imagine a plane without gravity.

[–] fubbernuckin 3 points 8 months ago

Imagine a plane without gravity.

Like a space ship?

[–] cobysev 3 points 8 months ago

Electricity still needs a specifically built medium to pass through before it can form a consciousness, though. You can't just send electricity through a tree and expect the tree to suddenly become conscious. Electricity is just a key ingredient of consciousness, not the full picture.

Bodies have neutral pathways that allow electricity to simulate consciousness if regulated properly. Same with computers and circuitry.