I imagine that shared bodies with shared experiences are difficult to coordinate. If you have two bodies with two brains, they can go on two different places, do two different things in parallel. If you have one body, it can only be at one place and do one thing, but it’s perfectly coordinated. One-and-half body with one-and-half brain seems to have all disadvantages of one body, but much worse coordination. Thus evolution selects for separate bodies, each with one mind. (We have two hemispheres, and we may be unconsciously thinking about multiple things in parallel, but we have one consciousness which decides the general course of action.)
We might try looking for counter-examples in nature. Octopi seem to be smart, and they have a nervous system less centralized than humans. They still have a central brain, but most of their neurons are in arms. I wonder whether that means something, other than that movement of an octopus arm is more difficult (has more degrees of freedom) than movement of a human limb.
Yeah right. There is something about existing within a spatial world that makes it reasonable to have a bunch of bodies operating somewhat independently. The laws of physics seem to be local, and they also place limits on communication across space, and for this reason you get, I suppose, localized independent consciousness.
I imagine that shared bodies with shared experiences are difficult to coordinate. If you have two bodies with two brains, they can go on two different places, do two different things in parallel. If you have one body, it can only be at one place and do one thing, but it’s perfectly coordinated. One-and-half body with one-and-half brain seems to have all disadvantages of one body, but much worse coordination. Thus evolution selects for separate bodies, each with one mind. (We have two hemispheres, and we may be unconsciously thinking about multiple things in parallel, but we have one consciousness which decides the general course of action.)
We might try looking for counter-examples in nature. Octopi seem to be smart, and they have a nervous system less centralized than humans. They still have a central brain, but most of their neurons are in arms. I wonder whether that means something, other than that movement of an octopus arm is more difficult (has more degrees of freedom) than movement of a human limb.
Yeah right. There is something about existing within a spatial world that makes it reasonable to have a bunch of bodies operating somewhat independently. The laws of physics seem to be local, and they also place limits on communication across space, and for this reason you get, I suppose, localized independent consciousness.