What's the difference between protoconsciousness and matter? — Eugen

I would use the term Physicalism rather than Materialism. Physicalism is closely related to Materialism, but Physicalism grew out of Materialism with advances in knowledge about the physical sciences. In the world of space-time there is more than just elementary particles but also elementary forces.

Therefore, an understanding of consciousness needs more than an understanding of matter but also the forces between this matter. The question with the mind-body problem is how consciousness is grounded in broadly physical systems, how the property of feeling pain could be instantiated by an entirely physical object, such as the nervous system.

Referring to the SEP article Russellian Monism, according to Bertrand Russell, fundamental physical entities are intrinsically qualitatively special such that they necessitate conscious states in macro structures, such as humans, but as yet, our understanding outstrips current knowledge. Russellian monism comes in two varieties: panpsychist and panprotopsychist. The former holds that the special intrinsic properties are themselves consciousness properties, and the latter denies this.

I find it hard to believe in panpsychism, in that electrons are conscious, but panprotopsychism seems a more sensible approach, whereby elementary particles and forces have certain intrinsic properties that enable the realization of consciousness in certain circumstances. For example, the property of movement cannot be observed in a system consisting of a single magnet, yet can be observed in a system consisting of several magnets in close proximity. It is also the case the the property of momentum of an objects exists neither in its mass or velocity, but is a product of the two. The property of volume of an object doesn't exist in its parts but in the relation of the parts making up the whole. Perhaps in the same way, the property of consciousness cannot be discovered in an individual element, but only emerges when several individual elements are combined in certain particular ways.

Perhaps protoconsciousness is an intrinsic feature of elementary particles and forces that only emerges as the property of consciousness when these elementary particles and forces are in certain combinations.

I'll write you in private on this one.

@Eugen In Physicalism, everything is physical. But the question remains, is a protoconsciousness an intrinsic part of the physical.

I sent you a private message.