I havent been following this thread, but here is my $0.2:
"Consciousness is an emergent property of matter. Any complex
structure can be said to experience consciousness, which is
*qualitatively* no difference from ours. The brain is just one instance
of such a structure."
I can understand the feeling that there is some qualia that seems
hard to explain, but it doesnt bother me too much. Generally I
much prefer exploring the physical aspects.
