Nicola Staff asked 4 years ago
This is a debatable point. Science would give you a clear "no" answer. There is a consciousness of a crude sort that is present, but not in the way you think of it as having thoughts that contemplate the self in choices about how to act and where to go next, and so on. There is not that level of self-awareness to provide for higher-level thinking. A viral pandemic is very analogous to other environmental pollutants that may cause trouble for humans like pollen in the air. Their purpose is self-propagation of the plant of origin, but when they become airborne can be a nuisance and an even deadly allergic reaction in some individuals, but this is not a choice of the pollen particles to do such things. They are simply living out their physical existence, in a sense, having formed, been liberated, and then carried by the elements to their final destiny, whatever that might be, most failing to arrive within a plant organ where they could carry out a fertilization as they are designed to do, and hence the need for massive numbers to be released so that some are carried along and eventually reach an intended target, but it is a passive journey entirely on the part of the pollen. Yet plants continue to thrive so the overall scheme is effective.
Viruses, on the other hand, are an artificial construct. They are limited by their makeup and have no higher-order functions, but are simply dangerous because of their ability to survive within the physical body of humans and engage with cell surface receptors and be internalized where they can commandeer genetic machinery to replicate, creating massive numbers of new viruses that are released into the environment eventually and continue the process. That is the danger they pose, but it is a passive assault. The active component was the intentional creation of the virus in the first place and how it is seeded into the environment where it can take hold within victims and spread.
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