Science, People & Politics issn:1751598x. Issue one 2017

HUMANITIES SCIENCE POLITICS

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Science, People & Politics ISSN 1751-598X

EDITORIAL | 3

EDITORAL: PAIN AND CONSCIOUSNESS

Let us rename pain - trees.
Let us rename consciousness - the emergent genetic property of treeness.

A.
If the pain no longer exists, does that now non-existent pain exist in the present?
If the tree has been chopped down, does the tree exist in the present?
Not as memory, but as reality?

B.
If no other than the consciousness experiencing pain in the moment knows of the pain, does
the pain exist for the wider community?
If no other than the emerging genetic property of being a tree "knows" of the tree,
does the tree exist for the forest? Ie; no wind, no pollen, no pheromones. Nothing.

C.
If the pain exists, but the conscious entity does not know that the sensation experienced is
pain, does the pain exist?
If the tree exists, but the emergent property of its genes does not know that the tree is a tree,
does the tree exist?

D.
If the pain exists, but the biology carrying signals to the interpreting consciousness are
severed, does the pain exist?
If the tree exists, but the cell signalling pathways of its DNA are disrupted, does the tree exist?

E. If the conscious entity likes pain, then is pain, in fact, pain?
If the emergent essence of the tree's genome has what could be interpreted as a favourable
response to the tree, is the tree a tree? HG
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Issue 1 (Jan-Mar), 2017............................................Science, People & Politics ISSN 1751-598X print and online

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Published Friday 24th February, 2017,
nominally.
Completed 9th April, 2017.

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