anonymous66 wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2018, 7:12 am
LuckyR wrote: ↑May 22nd, 2018, 1:40 am
Uummm... don't you think that homo sapiens has accomplished somewhat more than the median among earth inhabitants?
It is easier to keep animals down (hunting, domestication) then raising them up (training, genetic engineering). But don't worry, it's coming (if it isn't here already).
There are a lot of conscious humans.... But, what of conscious animals? Is their consciousness an advantage?
I see some conscious animals and some that don't display signs of consciousness (mirror test). It seems to me that animals without consciousness are doing quite well.
Every observable being's group has, by definition successfully passed on it's genetic material to get here. That in and of itself, is a very low bar. Though you bring up a very good point. Namely that while consciousness is a prerequisite for planetary domination (as I alluded to), that it alone is not sufficient (as you pointed out). Of course we are beneficiaries of countless generations of human activity, many of which didn't confer much benefit to individual humans (as compared to wild animals), so our perspectives are biased and don't necessarily represent the history of the human experience. Similarly, species who express consciousness may as a group not be as "successful" as other instinct based groups, depending on the definition of success. However, most would agree that individuals within those groups have the potential (depending commonly on circumstances beyond their control) for much more fulfilling lives than individuals without it.
"As usual... it depends."