[bharath28]

As far as i can see it, to be conscious is to have a subject experience of reality and (this is i am sure about yet) to have some sense of purpose (however mundane).

To talk about the universe being conscious in this sense, seems to be meaningless to me. I get this strange feeling that we are trying to force something that is vastly mysterious (numinous, not divine) into our world view of how lifeforms work on earth.

Reminds me of a fascinating discussion with Richard Dawkins from a while ago. If you can ignore the pseudo-scientific babble from Deepak Chopra and the annoying host, Dawkins makes some deeply interesting points worth thinking about.

https://youtu.be/BiwLrxPb1fE?t=16m12s