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Full Idea
Consciousness is just a 'tool' and nothing more - in the same sense that the stomach is a tool.
Gist of Idea
Consciousness is a 'tool' - just as the stomach is a tool
Source
Friedrich Nietzsche (Writings from Late Notebooks [1887], 37[4])
Book Ref
Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Writings from the Late Notebooks', ed/tr. Bittner,Rüdiger [CUP 2003], p.29
A Reaction
Nietzsche was very critical of Darwin, but he absorbed his teachings quicker than anyone. I agree with this, and with Fodor (Idea 2508), that to understand a mind you must think about why we have minds.
Related Idea
Idea 2508 The function of a mind is obvious [Fodor]
| 17212 | To understand is the absolute virtue of the mind [Spinoza] |
| 20115 | All of our normal mental life could be conducted without consciousness [Nietzsche] |
| 20117 | Only the need for communication has led to consciousness developing [Nietzsche] |
| 7155 | Consciousness exists to the extent that consciousness is useful [Nietzsche] |
| 7143 | Consciousness is a 'tool' - just as the stomach is a tool [Nietzsche] |
| 5809 | Some activities are performed better without consciousness of them [Dretske] |
| 3470 | Conscious creatures seem able to discriminate better [Searle] |
| 4271 | There is consciousness whenever behaviour must be explained in terms of mental activity [Scruton] |
| 2412 | Can we explain behaviour without consciousness? [Chalmers] |
| 4941 | Consciousness can create new axioms, but computers can't do that [Edelman/Tononi] |
| 9780 | Consciousness is a malfunction of evolution [Zizek] |
| 4741 | A very powerful computer might have its operations restricted by the addition of consciousness [Clark,T] |