Although consciousness appears to be an attribute of higher non- human life forms, and perhaps all life forms, I am less ready to accept the idea that non-life forms or inorganic intelligence possess consciousness, although there are eminent individuals who believe that they do, and not without some justification. The acceptance of this belief does go a long way toward making sense out of certain facets of our existence which otherwise have no valid explanation. For one thing, it avoids the issue of the origin of consciousness since it might be assumed that consciousness has always existed in one form or other.

There are now an increasing number of scientists who believe that inorganic matter, and indeed all matter, contains varying degrees of consciousness. Itzhak Bentov believes that consciousness is an attribute of all matter beginning at the subatomic level and continuing all the way up the scale to the macroscopic universe. He would define consciousness as the capacity of any system to respond to stimuli. An atom can be stimulated by applying ultraviolet light. The atom's types of responses are quite limited, but it could bump an electron into a higher orbit.⁵⁰

There are others as well, like Arthur M. Young, who would postulate that consciousness is a continuum linking material, biological and psychological entities. He proposes that atomic and molecular organization are protoconscious and provide the basis for more complex expressions of awareness. Such properties gradually develop and foreshadow the characteristics of human consciousness, in much the same way as the intrauterine embryo anticipates the adult of the species. He states that the difference between human awareness and that of other living organisms, and of inorganic matter, may represent discrete steps in the evolution of consciousness. Therefore, processes within an animal's body exemplify a level of consciousness more complex than that of the plants upon which it feeds, which are in turn more complex than the earth out of which the plants grow. He proposes a seven-stage process by which consciousness evolves, from its prototypical manifestations in the photon through nuclear particles, atoms, molecules, plants, animals, and then man.⁵¹

Physicist Eugene Wigner and others have argued that the inclusion of consciousness may be an essential ingredient in any future theories of matter.⁵²

9) Every system whether living or non-living has stored information as memories. Every system is continually storing new information. The more complex the system, the greater amount of information it contains. The vast majority of stored information, even in humans, is unavailable during an ordinary state of consciousness. Stored information or memories become more available during higher states of consciousness. Although most memories are hidden from view, being stored in the unconscious, there are still many which are retrievable and can be brought to a conscious level. A great deal of stored information is inherited and is programmed into the DNA molecule. There is a great amount of information which is also gained or learned during life which is mostly stored in the unconscious. Much of the stored information within any organism directs the automatic body functions such as respiration, food and energy assimilation and excretion, as well as operation of the immune system and other processes.

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