Banca de DEFESA: ANDERSON LUIZ DO VALE FONSECA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : ANDERSON LUIZ DO VALE FONSECA
DATE: 16/02/2022
TIME: 09:30
LOCAL: Google Meet
TITLE:

Is the Ant Colony Conscious? An analysis from the perspective of panpsychism

KEY WORDS:

Ant Colony. Conscience. Panpsychism. Combinationism.

PAGES: 115
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Filosofia
SUBÁREA: Metafísica
SUMMARY:

The similarity between the interaction pattern of neurons in the human brain and the ant colony makes the latter an object of the hypothesis of being a structure capable of having a consciousness. Thus, Thomas Nagel's definition of consciousness as something that is to be for an organism becomes fundamental for the examination of it as a possible experiential subject. The ant colony, if considered an organism, could be a subject capable of having internal experiences. However, the lack of a general principle of psychophysical organization affects the idea of mind in Nagel's theory. Therefore, we developed based on Panpsychism, criteria for colony analysis, presenting which characteristics it must meet in order to be qualified as conscious. In this way, it becomes an appropriate model for examining Nagel's argument. We do not argue that the ant colony is a genuine organism, but that, if it is, it will have some kind of conscious experience. In dealing with this question, we examine the enactive approach to the living system, in order to verify whether the colony is a biological individual, and then, in the light of combinationism, whether it is possible for the ants' minds to underlie the ant's mind. We conclude that, based on how the parts interact with the whole, there may be more than one resolution to the problem, i.e., the colony's consciousness depends on the way how its components are physically and phenomenally integrated.

BANKING MEMBERS:
Interno - 1550948 - MARCO AURELIO SOUSA ALVES
Interno - 1716250 - GUSTAVO LEAL TOLEDO
Externo à Instituição - GIOVANNI ROLLA - UFBA