What good is consciousness?

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Sea fleas and smart drugs by Ian Woolf,
Peter Watts talks about biologically plausible aliens, why only two sexes, and suggests you don't need to be conscious.
In the conversation we name-checked these stories: "Starfish" by Peter Watts, "Ten Monkeys, Ten Minutes" by Peter Watts, "The Gods Themselves" by Isaac Asimov, the "Tales of Known Space: The Universe of Larry Niven", the TV series "Alien Nation", the TV series "Space Above and Beyond", the 1950's "The War of The Worlds" movie, "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke, "The Chanur Saga" by C. J. Cherryh, "Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand" by Samuel Delaney, "Probability Moon (The Probability Trilogy)" by Nancy Kress, "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" by Julian James, "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson.
Production checked by Charles Willock,
Produced and hosted by Ian Woolf
Rynos Theme by MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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