These sources examine the philosophical and scientific debate surrounding substrate flexibility, which questions whether consciousness can exist in non-biological matter. While a traditional physicalist view suggests that consciousness is a byproduct of material processes, authors Pober and Schwitzgebel argue that it is not exclusive to human biology. By applying the Copernican Principle, they propose that we are likely not unique; therefore, behaviorally sophisticated entities, such as aliens or advanced AI, could possess experience despite having different chemical compositions. The texts also contrast this with idealism, which suggests matter exists within consciousness, and panpsychism, which views mind as a fundamental property of all matter. Ultimately, the research suggests that consciousness is likely achievable across diverse physical media, challenging the idea that only "meat machines" can be sentient.

Source: https://faculty.ucr.edu/~eschwitz/SchwitzPapers/SubstrateFlexibility-260528.pdf

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