From Chelsea Gohd at Futurism:
Our species has long agonized over the concept of human consciousness. What exactly causes it, and why did we evolve to experience consciousness? Now, a new study has uncovered a clue in the hunt for answers, and it reveals that the human brain might have more in common with the universe than we could have imagined.
According to a team of researchers from France and Canada, our brains might produce consciousness as something of a side effect of increasing entropy, a process that has been taking place throughout the universe since the Big Bang. More.
The research is based on a small study done on epileptics. If the theory that consciousness is a natural side effect of increasing entropy, we should expect that rocks have minds too, and indeed, stymied by the concept of consciousness, some materialists do claim that now (panpsychism).
No one is expected to account for the fact that we do not see any evidence for intelligent rocks. But post-modern naturalism has passed beyond the need for evidence anyway.
See also: Neuroscientist: We will never build a machine that mimics our personal consciousness
Researchers: Could an ancient virus account for human consciousness?
At Quartz: Materialists are converting to panpsychism
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The illusion of consciousness sees through itself.