On why evolution produced consciousness: intelligence as the plausible intermediary
jessi_cata · x · 2026-09-09
Responding to the experience-optimizer discussion, the author argues the primary thing to explain is why evolution optimized for consciousness while optimizing for fitness — with intelligence a plausible intermediary (smarter animals likelier to be conscious). He offers an A4 variant: you are part of a system optimizing cognition/intelligence, which is roughly the same as optimizing subjective experience if that's a natural category; if it isn't, there's nothing substantive to explain.
Related event: AI consciousness debate: Why am I not in an experience-maximizing system?(3 posts)→
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