# Consciousness Was Once Claimed as Uniquely Human by Maria Popova > "As recently as the 17th century, René Descartes proclaimed "cogito ergo sum," implying that thinking is a uniquely human faculty, as is consciousness." > **— Maria Popova**, *2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?”* ## Sources and Context - **Full authored response and quotation context:** [The Umwelt of the Unanswerable](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/26256) — Edge's 2015 annual-question response by Maria Popova; the linked page contains the complete response and quoted passage. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Article:** [[articles/Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Technologies for Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas|The Organic-Synthetic Brain Atlas]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Closed-Loop Gaussian Sensorium Engine|The Closed-Loop Gaussian Sensorium Engine]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Artificial Consciousness|Artificial Consciousness]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Self-Awareness|Self-Awareness]] - [[wiki/Bicameral Mind Architecture|Bicameral Mind Architecture]] - [[wiki/Higher-Order Agency|Higher-Order Agency]] - [[wiki/Exploring Machine Consciousness|Exploring Machine Consciousness]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "As recently as the 17th century, René Descartes proclaimed "cogito ergo sum," implying that thinking is a uniquely human faculty, as is consciousness." — Maria Popova, 2015, Edge annual question “What Do You Think About Machines That Think?” https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-maria-popova-consciousness-was-once-claimed-uniquely ```