From Wolf Kirchmeir, Blind River, Ontario, Canada
You ask: Is the universe conscious? The answer depends on what is meant by “conscious”. If the definition is an operational one, the question can be settled by observation and experiment. If not, well, you can play more or less interesting semantic games (29 June, p 38).
I think the nominal -ness suffix in “consciousness” has misled a lot of thinkers, me included. A -ness word refers to an entity or to a trait. It doesn’t refer to a process or event. Yet (after much thought) it seems obvious to me that any investigation into consciousness must begin with the observation that it exists only while it is happening. Like rain. Or a thought. Or a life.
