[imoldtoo]

This scaling argument only works if the consituent molecules, atoms and particles also scale proportionally.

If you scale the system but keep one end tied down it isn't the same system.

[FisDugthop]

Presumably the grandparent is thinking of organisms like Pando [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree)

[imoldtoo]

Yes, that makes more sense. ta

[Veedrac]

No, it holds much more strongly than that. The idea that consciousness can only arise in neurons shaped exactly like human neurons—and not, say, slightly larger neurons like exist in many other animals, or neurons with slightly different energy-carrying chemicals, or whatever—is implausible, because evolution isn't goal-directed. Evolution didn't find the one true physical layout that leads to conscious experience, because evolutionary strategies fundamentally can't solve those sorts of problems.

[imoldtoo]

I'm with you on this.

My reason for comment related purely to the looseness of the conversation, w.r.t. the word "scale", which, it seems I had misunderstood to mean an affine transform.

In light of this comment, I now see you were talking about some growth function or change in topology/structure.

Thanks for the clarification.