An understanding of what consciousness actually is, for
starters.
It is a belief.
No it is not.
And that statement ("It is a belief") is a cop-out theory.
An "understanding" of what consciousness is requires a consensus definition
of what it is.
For most people, it seems to be an undifferentiated mess that includes all
of attentional components, intentional components, understanding components,
and, frequently, experiential components (i.e. qualia).
If you only buy into the first three and do it in a very concrete fashion,
consciousness (and ethics) isn't all that tough.
Or you can follow Alice and star debating the "real" meaning of the third
and whether or not the truly fourth exists in anyone except yourself.
Personally, if something has a will (intentionality/goals) that it can focus
effectively (attentional and understanding), I figure that you'd better
start treating it ethically for your own long-term self-interest.
Of course, that then begs the question of what ethics is . . . . but I think
that that is pretty easy to solve as well . . . .
-------------------------------------------
agi
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