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Comment by cubefox | Hacker News Reader

This shows that memory isn't required for consciousness. We can be fully conscious while forgetting everything after a few minutes or less. Actually, when we look at a highly detailed photo or video this is pretty standard: We forget most finer details within seconds.

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I think there is a difference between an already conscious being losing their ability to recall memories vs never having the ability in the first place. Maybe you can technically maintain the state of consciousness without forming new memories once you've already achieved it (for example people with Alzheimer's/other forms of dementia, but that is up for debate how "conscious" they are during it's most advanced stages), but getting to the point of consciousness in the first place doesn't really seem possible without some kind of ability to refer back to previous experiences.

Is there something special about memory, or is it just another tool for consciousness?

It seems like consciousness is the conductor and puts to use whatever it has access to (motor function, sensory inputs, memory). Any of those can be significantly impaired (limbs/senses lost, imperfect memory) and the conductor simply adapts and focuses on what remains.

Are people with superior memories able to attain higher consciousness than others? If not and it is a binary, conscious or not conscious, then what is the minimal ability in memory required to attain it?

In my view, memory is not a requirement for consciousness. It is required for learning a language to communicate about your consciousness but not for the process itself. You can be fully aware of yourself and your surroundings without referring to previous experience.

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