yes

It's not what if. It's a fact lol. Consciousness is what the mind perceives, and it's subject to a universe of cause and effect, which on the whole, is the same thing. Minds are just smaller, separate containers. Each a subset of the whole thing - a universe of cause and effect - essentially the same, one state of consciousness. Okay, only a fact even if you half believe in determinism.

Define life and consciousness. Without solid definitions of the words we use, we attach meaning to vague feelings and a sense of wonder.

For me:

Life (in this category/context) involves reproduction, spreading of the genes, and agency (i.e. consciousness). Life can be explained in terms of reproductive cells, brain activity, DNA, etc.

Consciousness: <a href="https://steemit.com/philosophy/@lukestokes/consciousness-the-rostral-dorsolateral-pontine-tegmentum-connected-to-the-brainstem">memory combined with arousal and awareness</a>. This can also be explained on a physical level. If the brain stops functioning, it goes away. There's no magic involved. Much talk about consciousness and life seems to be <a href="http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Woo">Woo</a> to me.