I don’t think the first sense and the second are mutually exclusive.
A dog has half as much processing power as a human = a dog can think the same thoughts but only at half the speed. A dog has half as much consciousness as a human = a dog is only half as aware as a human of what’s going on.
And yes, I definitely think that this is how it works. For example, when I get up in the morning I am much less aware of what’s going on than when I am fully awake. Sometimes I pause and go “wait what am I doing right now?” And of course there’s those funny times when you end up going to your old school by accident because you’re not aware of what you’re doing until it’s too late...
The only part I disagree with is “A being that is functionally exactly like you, and that is experiencing exactly what you are experiencing”. A being that is only half as conscious is going to have a different brain, so will act differently. You definitely notice when someone is only at 50% consciousness.
Finally, I submit that consciousness works just like will power: It is a limited resource which you can allocate to certain tasks/thoughts, and by training it you can get more of it. A good rationalist needs a large pool of consciousness.
I don’t think the first sense and the second are mutually exclusive.
A dog has half as much processing power as a human = a dog can think the same thoughts but only at half the speed.
A dog has half as much consciousness as a human = a dog is only half as aware as a human of what’s going on.
And yes, I definitely think that this is how it works. For example, when I get up in the morning I am much less aware of what’s going on than when I am fully awake. Sometimes I pause and go “wait what am I doing right now?” And of course there’s those funny times when you end up going to your old school by accident because you’re not aware of what you’re doing until it’s too late...
The only part I disagree with is “A being that is functionally exactly like you, and that is experiencing exactly what you are experiencing”. A being that is only half as conscious is going to have a different brain, so will act differently. You definitely notice when someone is only at 50% consciousness.
Finally, I submit that consciousness works just like will power: It is a limited resource which you can allocate to certain tasks/thoughts, and by training it you can get more of it. A good rationalist needs a large pool of consciousness.