Sensing, feeling and sentience in unicellular organisms and living cells.
F Baluška, W B Miller, P Slijepcevic, A S Reber
Bio Systems January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2024.105374 via PubMed
Summary
Cells are not merely structural building blocks but cognitive agents with subjective feelings, sentience (consciousness), and cognitive infocomputational competence. They function as 'Kantian Wholes' where all parts exist for and by means of the whole system, using sentient agency to solve existential problems and evolve as self-organizing units. Cell sentience arises from the excitable plasma membrane, which generates bioelectromagnetic fields linked to a whole-cell sensory architecture. This sensory apparatus, termed the senome, encompasses the totality of cellular self-referential information obtained through sensory systems, including the subjective cellular inside and self-referential appraisal of the external environment. The plasma membrane was invented by the first cells and has been inherited uninterruptedly for billions of years through successive cell divisions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Agency Cells Consciousness Feelings Kantian wholes |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key finding | Cells are cognitive agents with sentience and subjective feelings, functioning as Kantian Wholes via a plasma membrane-based senome. |
Abstract
Cells represent the basic units of life, not only as structural building blocks, but also as cognitive agents endowed with subjective cellular feelings, sentience (consciousness), and cognitive infocomputatioal competence. Living cells act as 'Kantian Wholes': All of its parts exist for and by means of the whole system, allowing cells to use sentient agency for solving existential problems and evolve as living self-organizing units. Cell sentience is based on its excitable plasma membrane generating bioelectromagnetic fields that link to a whole-cell sensory architecture. This cellular sensory apparatus, termed its senome, represents the totality of cellular self-referential information obtained by cells via their sensory systems, including the subjective cellular inside and the cell's self-referential appraisal of its external environment. The plasma membrane was 'invented' by the very first cells and has been uninterruptedly inherited by cells for billions of years through successive cell divisions.