Most people have no problem killing insect. These creeping, crawling, flying things ... they bite and sting, are accepted as dirty, buzzing them tease and frighten and can be a source of infection. Impact and crushing, without reflection.
But what would happen if insects prove to be more than just miniature robots with undersized brain managed only by instinct? This question asking researchers from Australian universities Makkueri in the study of insects and origin of consciousness. Their conclusion? Insects have the ability "to its most basic aspect of consciousness: subjective experience."
The researchers found that despite its small size, the brains of insects have certain structural similarities with the human brain, which could demonstrate the existence of a "rudimentary form of consciousness", conveys the Smithsonian.
The authors of the article, the philosopher Colin Klein and cognitive scientist Andrew Barron of the University Makkueri not argue that insects have deep thoughts and desires, such as "I want to be the fastest wasp in my nest" or "mmm, this pear nectar is really good ". No, they suggest that these invertebrates can be motivated by subjective experience, which is considered the source of consciousness.
"We want to know something more: that insects can feel and perceive the environment from the perspective of the first person," the researchers wrote. "In philosophical jargon, sometimes called" phenomenal consciousness. ""
In the article they describe rudimentary sense of ego, though it and is very different from staggering heights that can reach the human ego. The ego of the insect is rather aimed at distinguishing the important elements of the environment, as for example on how to react and what to ignore. "They do not pay attention to all the sensory information in the same way," said Klein Jennifer Vigas from Discovery News. "Insect selectively paying attention to what is most relevant for him at the moment, and hence it was" self-centered ".
Even the behavior of insects is completely different from ours, it is possible there are important similarities between their brains and ours, the authors note. There is a theory that the center of human consciousness is not in our great human neocortex, but rather in the primitive midbrain - much more "modest" place that synthesize data in a way that helps us to learn the basic facts about our environment .
"In humans and other vertebrates there is strong evidence that the midbrain is responsible for the basic ability to subjective experience," said Klein Vigas. Cortex determines much of what we consciously and respect for what we have informed, but the average brain, thanks to which we are capable of these functions. It achieves this by, very roughly, forms an integrated picture of the world from a single perspective. "
This, combined with recent izsledvanie brains of insects indicates that their central nervous system probably performs the same function as the midbrain in larger animals transmitted the Smithsonian.
"This is a serious reason to assume that insects and other invertebrates are actually conscious. Their experience of the world may not be as rich or detailed as ours, "write Klein and Barron. "But it feels like something to be a bee."
source: Psy blog , https://pixabay.com