The Evolutionary Link Between Cognition and Consciousness and the Role of Unlimited Associative Learning

Exploring the link between cognition and consciousness in the evolution of biological organisms, this chapter discusses how consciousness is a complex property of living organisms, similar to life being a complex chemical property. It also delves into the concept of unlimited associative learning and the requirements for it, as well as the generative nature of learning and its alignment with the capacities associated with consciousness. Lastly, it examines the three major groups of organisms that have passed the threshold for consciousness.