I do not believe this is a mutually exclusive choice and would argue it is a false dichotomy. As I stated above consciousness may not so much arise from matter as propagate through it.
Think of an ordered series of ripples traveling across a body of water. If we disrupt the medium those ripples are traveling through by removing the water or walling it off the ripples will cease. This outcome does not require us to assume these ripples spontaneously 'arise' from the water. Instead it simply means that the ripples require the water to propagate.
Our consciousness requires a far more ordered medium then a body of water to propagate. If we destroy the brain consciousness ceases. Destroying the medium disrupts the ripples.
To determine if consciousness is deterministic requires us to examine the mechanism the ripples use to propagate. Orchestrated objective reduction’ (‘Orch OR’) proposes that consciousness consists of a sequence of discrete events, each being a moment of ‘objective reduction’ (OR) of a quantum state.
Orch OR is based in objective collapse theory which is one of the five main theoretical offshoots of quantum mechanics. The others are pilot-wave theories, the Copenhagen interpretation, many-world interpretations and modal interpretations. Objective collapse theory is indeterministic thus if Orch OR theory is correct consciousness is likely also indeterministic with regards to traditional causality.
All attempts to understand consciousness must by necessity use consciousness to try and explain consciousness.
Interesting worldview, but that is not how I view the world.
I believe matter doesn't exist, that is why I`m not a materialist.
I`m the first capitalist that is not materialist it's very weird.
I view the assets, the substances that exist, wether the so called "physical" stuff or mental stuff as ethereal things.
I certainly don't view them as solid, because to some degree QM might be correct, but I also dont believe it really explains anything substantial, it just scratches the surface of the world.
I`m constantly aware of entropy and how the world changes around us, so it's really foolish to believe in solid objects, but many people do that because of their ego.
The funny thing is that we have absolutely no evidence that there is a universe, it can all just be an ethereal projection or a complex illusion.
Also the big paradox about consciousness is that you have to use consciousness to explain it, and that is circular logic.
What's your opinion on that?