[mcv]

Can we comprehend them? From what I've read about it, consciousness in octopuses has to be completely alien to ours, because it's spread out over multiple brain centers, including one for each arm. So the arm is a semi-intelligent entity of its own.

No idea to what extent the article discusses this; part of it is blocked by a paywall, after which it continues about eating moluscs. But just like people eat octopuses, it's entirely possible that alien intelligence end up on our dinner plates before they end up at our negotiating table.

[joycian]

To be fair, our brain is also split into two halves that have limited bandwidth to communicate. It's not clear how much bandwidth is needed to "feel" like a single entity.

[akimball]

Very little if the level of contextual loading is high enough. Vast amounts if it is low. Not all bits are equal.

[sradman]

> Can we comprehend them? From what I've read about it, consciousness in octopuses has to be completely alien to ours...

What is completely alien is the evolutionary path compared to our own. What feels familiar is the connection you feel with these animals when they interact with you. They seem to be caught in a comical struggle between fear and curiosity. It feels human.

[bserge]

Does the physical build actually matter? "We" are just virtual constructs that happen to run on a brain inside a skull at the top of a four-limbed creature.

For an organism that evolved on this planet, it stands to reason they'd have some experience similar to ours. The fact that their consciousness would run on multiple nodes is of little relevance imo

[DonaldFisk]

Or vice-versa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Serve_Man