Does Consciousness Exist in Organisms Without Brains?

New studies suggest consciousness exists in organisms without brains

We assume consciousness requires a human or animal brain—an assumption that author and philosopher of science Natalie Lawrence argues is the biggest obstacle to understanding what the mind actually is. Our tools for investigating cognition were built in our own image, leading us to over-attribute "life" to AI while dismissing complex organisms like slime moulds. Drawing on her research into the philosophy of biology, Lawrence explores how Spain's MINT Lab is moving beyond these biases. By designing experiments that don't use human cognition as the template, they aim to build a framework rigorous enough to finally distinguish a system that merely reacts to its past from one that genuinely experiences its present.

The expanding view of mind

Across the philosophy of mind, it is becoming increasingly clear that there are fruitful avenues for exploring the origins and nature of consciousness well beyond neuronal systems. If anything, assuming the necessity of brains is beginning to look like a fragile position.