Human cerebral organoids and consciousness: surveying relevant philosophy of mind

Human organoids can be thought of as three-dimensional biological models developed from human pluripotent stem cells that resemble human organs. There are various types of organoids that resemble different types of organs in the human body, such as kidney organoids, liver organoids, heart organoids, and so on. Human brain organoids are organoids that resemble parts or aspects of the human brain. Human cerebral organoids are one type of brain organoid, which mimics the cerebrum. They can be described as miniature 3D biological models of the cerebrum derived from human embryonic or induced pluripotent stem cells. Insofar as these organoids accurately resemble the cerebrum in early development, they can advance our understanding of how this part of the human brain develops and propel progress in neurology. Yet, the research development and use of human cerebral organoids, which is rapidly advancing, elicits questions about what ethically responsible research progress requires. One significant question is: Can human cerebral organoids become conscious, given that they resemble a part of the human brain thought to corresponds to consciousness? Whether human cerebral organoids could become conscious depends on two factors. The first factor is how consciousness relates to the brain. The second factor is whether or not the neurobiological conditions for consciousness are present in the organoids. This first chapter focuses on the first factor, which is a central topic in philosophy of mind. We survey what several prominent philosophical views say about how consciousness relates to the brain or body, and what these views imply about whether cerebral organoids could become conscious.