9. Is consciousness fundamental? 10. What effects does consciousness have? 11. How was consciousness incentivized by evolution, if at all? (I now think it probably was.) 16. What evidence can we get for physical systems, such as AI’s, being conscious?
I have a post speculating on that, taking on the “follow physicalism off a cliff” perspective! Nobody liked it, though.
You may also find the last chapter of Hoffman’s The Case Against Reality interesting, here; also in relation to your Question 2. I don’t personally buy it, and think it introduces a bunch of redundant, will-obviously-be-proven-wrong details, but the fundamental approach there is interesting.
20. What is the most reasonable response to the Fermi paradox?
86. Does marginal reasoning plus the view that individuals cannot significantly shift the margins on large issues imply that individuals trying to maximize their impact should focus all their efforts towards one issue rather than diversifying? Is there any principled counterargument to this?
I have a post speculating on that, taking on the “follow physicalism off a cliff” perspective! Nobody liked it, though.
You may also find the last chapter of Hoffman’s The Case Against Reality interesting, here; also in relation to your Question 2. I don’t personally buy it, and think it introduces a bunch of redundant, will-obviously-be-proven-wrong details, but the fundamental approach there is interesting.
The Grabby Aliens model + Dissolving the Fermi paradox both seem like plausible, and not mutually exclusive, answers.
You may want to look at geometric rationality, and this post specifically.