… it is a short step to thinking that mushrooms have minds. A Miami University biologist has taken that step:
It’s pretty daring to claim that mushrooms have minds. But, in the light of what we have learned about plant communications, we should perhaps pause a moment to at least listen. Miami University biologist Nicholas P. Money, argues:
“Given the magical reputation of the fungi, claiming that they might be conscious is dangerous territory for a credentialled scientist. But in recent years, a body of remarkable experiments have shown that fungi operate as individuals, engage in decision-making, are capable of learning, and possess short-term memory. These findings highlight the spectacular sensitivity of such ‘simple’ organisms, and situate the human version of the mind within a spectrum of consciousness that might well span the entire natural world. – Nicholas P. Money, “The Fungal Mind: on the Evidence for Mushroom Intelligence” at Psyche”
Wait! The ability to process information is not consciousness. If it were, your laptop would be conscious. But it isn’t. And giving the laptop more power or memory would never make it so.
Things continue going wrong for mindful mushrooms as Money continues…
News, “Mushrooms have minds? Well, if you doubt humans are exceptional…” at Mind Matters News
If mushrooms think like people, why should we care more about the environment than we now do? (One of the author’s concerns)Why not just let mushrooms handle it?
See also: Scientists: Plants are not conscious! No, but why do serious plant scientists even need to make that clear? What has happened? Quite simply, the need to see humans as equivalent to animals has now spread to the need to see us as equivalent to plants.