Love these observations and thoughts. After reading "The Mountain and the Sea," I bought "How Forests Think." Refreshingly original book and you've captured its message very well and the message's implications. We have a difficulty applying our concepts of mind and thought to the functioning of plants and non-mammalian animals, since every time we use one of those words, it implies something we're familiar with when in fact, we're not. I'm dealing with this in my latest scifi novel, which is in progress, in which the homeostatic and self-preservative behaviors of ecosystems are compared to human conscious actions and the question is asked as to whether it is productive to think of such actions anthropomorphically. You make a good case for why it might be.
Sounds super interesting! Curious to hear more about the novel when ready.
I read them in the opposite order and when I saw the reference I thought "Oh, I know where you got this from!"
And I found it beautifully executed, with questions on *how* other minds think differently.
I don't think anthropomorphism is the right tool; it's limiting, but hard to think beyond our own minds. I feel like that's almost the point - it's all around us, but we're not attuned to it. We think "Oh, what a marvel of evolution!" not "Smart!". It's only innovative when we copy it; before that it's just randomness doing things.
Well, randomness if that's what it is has brought to life interconnected networks that have developed something that just feels very cooperative, intelligent, wise.
I think the flip side of the question makes it more obvious. We wouldn't be here, life wouldn't have survived, without this resilience. Emergent or not, it just had to be.
Plants, animals and soil, has spoken to me on occasion. Mushrooms, or mycelium if you like, are the most talkative. creatures that you have ancient alliances with, in your family lineage will remind you of this pact, for example. I think it is a matter of being aware of where your consciousness ends, and the others begins. when it is important and they have enough electrolytes and mycelial foundation, they can talk. Especially if they know and trust you.
Love these observations and thoughts. After reading "The Mountain and the Sea," I bought "How Forests Think." Refreshingly original book and you've captured its message very well and the message's implications. We have a difficulty applying our concepts of mind and thought to the functioning of plants and non-mammalian animals, since every time we use one of those words, it implies something we're familiar with when in fact, we're not. I'm dealing with this in my latest scifi novel, which is in progress, in which the homeostatic and self-preservative behaviors of ecosystems are compared to human conscious actions and the question is asked as to whether it is productive to think of such actions anthropomorphically. You make a good case for why it might be.
Sounds super interesting! Curious to hear more about the novel when ready.
I read them in the opposite order and when I saw the reference I thought "Oh, I know where you got this from!"
And I found it beautifully executed, with questions on *how* other minds think differently.
I don't think anthropomorphism is the right tool; it's limiting, but hard to think beyond our own minds. I feel like that's almost the point - it's all around us, but we're not attuned to it. We think "Oh, what a marvel of evolution!" not "Smart!". It's only innovative when we copy it; before that it's just randomness doing things.
Well, randomness if that's what it is has brought to life interconnected networks that have developed something that just feels very cooperative, intelligent, wise.
I think the flip side of the question makes it more obvious. We wouldn't be here, life wouldn't have survived, without this resilience. Emergent or not, it just had to be.
Plants, animals and soil, has spoken to me on occasion. Mushrooms, or mycelium if you like, are the most talkative. creatures that you have ancient alliances with, in your family lineage will remind you of this pact, for example. I think it is a matter of being aware of where your consciousness ends, and the others begins. when it is important and they have enough electrolytes and mycelial foundation, they can talk. Especially if they know and trust you.