Why the Sapience Evolution Contradicts Nearly Everything

[toa kopaka4372]

Topic title says it all. So basically, after some thought, I realized that the revelation at the end of the second chapter of The Yesterday Quest, that the MU inhabitants were not initially be meant to sapient by the Great Beings is not supported at all by previously established canon. To summarize:- The Toa Mata were clearly capable of intelligent thought and emotion from the moment they awoke, as seen in Swamp of Secrets. Helryx, Hydraxon, and all the Karda Nui Matoran were clearly sapient from the beginning as well as Tren Krom. Same for Karzahni and Artakha; no way is it implied the situation was ever different.- If no one was meant to be sapient, why bother putting guardians for the Ignika; no one would go and try to get it, right?- If the Brotherhood of Mauta's original purpose was to create Rahi, then they should've been created sapient to fulfill that task.- What's the whole point of the inner Light/Shadow and its connection to a being's moral state if there was never supposed to be sapience?- Antroz mentions in Shadows in the Sky that the Great Beings created the Matoran with spirit and passion in them- sounds like they were always meant to be sapient.- By at least 87,000 years ago the MU in it's entirety must've been sapient; Metru Nui was in negotiations with the Barraki, and the Barraki and the Brotherhood of Makuta had a lot of tension between them (see The Mutran Chronicles).Basically I feel like the GBs wouldn't put so much thought in their creation for no reason.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

I guess you could say the Toa Mata were glitched from the start because of their sapience. As for the guardians, I guess they were failsafes in case something did go wrong.

[Toatapio Nuva]

You're right, the sapience thing doesn't make sense at all. That's that. Case closed.

[Ektris]

I believe you are confusing sapience with sentience. They were always meant to be sentient - which would have been enough awareness to do many of the tasks you described. It'd just be per their programming. But they were never meant to grow to be sapient, to have all of that free will (they were automatons, after all).~|ET|~

[Makuta Matata]

It was only the Matoran who weren't meant to be Sapient. The Makuta, Skakdi, Tren Krom, etc, they were all meant to be Sapient. And do we know when the Toa Mata were first created? Because at the time of their creation, Sapience might have already been developed...

[Grant-Sud]

It was only the Matoran who weren't meant to be Sapient. The Makuta, Skakdi, Tren Krom, etc, they were all meant to be Sapient. And do we know when the Toa Mata were first created? Because at the time of their creation, Sapience might have already been developed...

Just throwing this in, that the Toa Mata were created right before Mata Nui was activated for the first time. (You can find the information in Legend's #10: Swamp of Secrets or BS01)

[fishers64]

- The Toa Mata were clearly capable of intelligent thought and emotion from the moment they awoke, as seen in Swamp of Secrets. Helryx, Hydraxon, and all the Karda Nui Matoran were clearly sapient from the beginning as well as Tren Krom. Same for Karzahni and Artakha; no way is it implied the situation was ever different.

It's pretty clear that they were, because they needed to be. No one else needed to be.

- If no one was meant to be sapient, why bother putting guardians for the Ignika; no one would go and try to get it, right?

There's the possibility that invaders from outside the robot would try to sabotage it or steal the Mask of Life. The Mask of Life is the key to the whole thing, so to speak, so it makes sense to make sure that only MU inhabitants could get to it.

- If the Brotherhood of Mauta's original purpose was to create Rahi, then they should've been created sapient to fulfill that task.

Remember, the Makuta were created by Mata Nui. They could have been sapient from the begining and it would have no reflection on the GB's intentions.

- What's the whole point of the inner Light/Shadow and its connection to a being's moral state if there was never supposed to be sapience?

The inner light-shadow thing could have developed over time.

- Antroz mentions in Shadows in the Sky that the Great Beings created the Matoran with spirit and passion in them- sounds like they were always meant to be sapient.- By at least 87,000 years ago the MU in it's entirety must've been sapient; Metru Nui was in negotiations with the Barraki, and the Barraki and the Brotherhood of Makuta had a lot of tension between them (see The Mutran Chronicles).Basically I feel like the GBs wouldn't put so much thought in their creation for no reason.

There's a difference between having spirit and passion and thinking for yourself. And the Barraki were also created by Mata Nui.

[toa kopaka4372]

Then I guess an error was ,made in TYQ, since apparently Mata Nui and Makuta were not supposed to be sapient, when they clearly always were.

[Makuta Matata]

It was only the Matoran who weren't meant to be Sapient. The Makuta, Skakdi, Tren Krom, etc, they were all meant to be Sapient. And do we know when the Toa Mata were first created? Because at the time of their creation, Sapience might have already been developed...

Just throwing this in, that the Toa Mata were created right before Mata Nui was activated for the first time. (You can find the information in Legend's #10: Swamp of Secrets or BS01)

Then maybe it was only Matoran who weren't supposed to be Sapient. Maybe Toa were meant to be more sapient because they were supposed to be protectors. You have to be able to think to do that...

[fishers64]

Then I guess an error was ,made in TYQ, since apparently Mata Nui and Makuta were not supposed to be sapient, when they clearly always were.

I think Mata Nui was clearly supposed to be sapient - after all, he was supposed to figure out how to save Spherus Magna...and he created the Makuta sapient, whether by accident or choice.

[alpha123]

I think Mata Nui was clearly supposed to be sapient - after all, he was supposed to figure out how to save Spherus Magna...and he created the Makuta sapient, whether by accident or choice.

I think the antidermis was always sapient, so he didn't really have an option. Edited August 7, 2012 by alpha123

[fishers64]

I think Mata Nui was clearly supposed to be sapient - after all, he was supposed to figure out how to save Spherus Magna...and he created the Makuta sapient, whether by accident or choice.

I think the antidermis was always sapient, so he didn't really have an option.

He could have made it out of something besides antidermis, but he chose not to.

[toa kopaka4372]

OK, in TYQ Angonce clearly thinks that no one in the MU was meant to be as sapient as they ended up being, and yet that is blatantly contradicted by pretty much everything we know about the MU's beginnings and what was previously stated in the story. Antroz said that the Great Beings were created to be more than just laborers in the Shadows in the Sky , and yet Angonce says they weren't. We were told that the Ignika was created to be used to heal Mata Nui, so obviously the traps made were intended for MU residents. It was even explicitly in Inferno that the GBs believed that the 777 stairs, and by extension all the others things put on the way to the Ignika, would be necessary someday.More so, how would light-shadow develop over time? How can light-shadow which happens to be connected to a being's moral state just form?The truth is, us fans can make excuses, but that doesn't change the fact that what Angonce thought contradicts a lot of stuff, and there was no previous indication that the MU inhabitants were never feeling beings with free will. AI never even came up in the story until TYQ, and a glitch in AI certainly is not a sufficient explanation for why the MU inhabitants have emotions, as AI cannot account for the raw emotion we saw the characters having. Actually, it was strongly implied in previous story that the reason for that was simply because Toa, Matoran and the others were all truly living beings while Vahki and Bohrok were not. The best example is Toa Ignika, who developed emotions imply by becoming a living being. But that's a different discussion, so I'll leave it at that.I kind of feel this whole idea was made for the sake of justifying Marendar's existence, whom we never saw in the story anyways.

[bonesiii]

Topic title says it all. So basically, after some thought, I realized that the revelation at the end of the second chapter of The Yesterday Quest, that the MU inhabitants were not initially be meant to sapient by the Great Beings is not supported at all by previously established canon. To summarize:- The Toa Mata were clearly capable of intelligent thought and emotion from the moment they awoke, as seen in Swamp of Secrets. Helryx, Hydraxon, and all the Karda Nui Matoran were clearly sapient from the beginning as well as Tren Krom. Same for Karzahni and Artakha; no way is it implied the situation was ever different.- If no one was meant to be sapient, why bother putting guardians for the Ignika; no one would go and try to get it, right?- If the Brotherhood of Mauta's original purpose was to create Rahi, then they should've been created sapient to fulfill that task.- What's the whole point of the inner Light/Shadow and its connection to a being's moral state if there was never supposed to be sapience?- Antroz mentions in Shadows in the Sky that the Great Beings created the Matoran with spirit and passion in them- sounds like they were always meant to be sapient.- By at least 87,000 years ago the MU in it's entirety must've been sapient; Metru Nui was in negotiations with the Barraki, and the Barraki and the Brotherhood of Makuta had a lot of tension between them (see The Mutran Chronicles).Basically I feel like the GBs wouldn't put so much thought in their creation for no reason.

Don't confuse a lack of sapience for a lack of intelligent thought and emotion, or even the ability to imagine new solutions to unforeseen problems. I've pointed this out often before; that the GBs clearly did want those things (described as sentience) in their MU "nanotech" creations. Which is probably why they partially used organics rather than pure robots.To your points:1) Do we know exactly when this sapience started? I've been under the impression it was true from the first moments for all the beings, but the GBs just did not pay close enough attention to realize it, since at first everybody did what they were programmed to do. It became more obvious after the GBs left, when culture developed, and some started doing evil.I don't think there was any moment later where a switch flipped on coincidentally in everybody, although it's possible, especially with my code-updating destiny cyberclay protodermis theory; that sapience was developed as the end result of a program that tried to update everybody, like computer updates, in order to solve some unforeseen problem (what that problem was I have no idea). Even if protodermis does not run that way, Mata Nui might have been able to telepathically update everyone's brain operating code. (But I don't think either of these is necessary; I think the GBs just made sapience from the start but didn't realize it, like accidentally mixing two reactive chemicals.)2) The GBs are quite simply obsessed with safeguards, and as I've pointed out before, sapience (being used for evil) is not the only way things could go wrong. They could simply malfunction.3) Again, you're confusing imagination with sapience. There is imagination in sentience, as in real-life animals. If you have pets, you know this. They will try to think of new solutions for problems. Often faster than we humans lol, since we get bogged down in so many mental distractions.4) In my cyberclay protodermis theory, I've proposed that the "moral" light and dark derive from a binary code system. It could also simply be a result of sapience. And besides, you're assuming that morals only apply to sapient beings. You wouldn't want your nanotech just doing anything. You would want them doing what you want. That balance thing probably comes into play here too; "good" beings do a balance of construction and destruction as needed.5) Your mistake here is that you're confusing your own assumption, that passion and spirit cannot be part of mere sentience, or are inseparable from sapience, for a canon fact. It's in fact that quote that disproves that assumption. Passion and spirit were considered part of sentience, not actual (humanlike) sapience.6) Works under all three of my answers to #1.

It was only the Matoran who weren't meant to be Sapient. The Makuta, Skakdi, Tren Krom, etc, they were all meant to be Sapient.

Is that confirmed? I thought none of them were supposed to be sapient, with the possible exception of Mata Nui.

The truth is, us fans can make excuses, but that doesn't change the fact that what Angonce thought contradicts a lot of stuff

"A lot of stuff" being assumptions in some fans' heads. It does not logically contradict the canon itself, and Greg BTW explained these distinctions between sentience and sapience on the old forums. He made part of the key to this real-life animals, as an example of what he means by sentience, whereas in real life only humans are sapient.

I kind of feel this whole idea was made for the sake of justifying Marendar's existence, whom we never saw in the story anyways.

Hypothetically, if that was true, as an author I know that the slightest and weirdest of things can originally inspire an idea, but that does not mean that that alone makes me choose to go with it. Ultimately I go with it because I like it, and think others will too. Also, it's more likely because of the giant robot revelation, and the idea that they would be nanotech inside the robot. Edited August 8, 2012 by bonesiii

[toa kopaka4372]

@bonesii, good points, I'll concede most of them. I actually just recently read some posts by GregF in the old forums regarding this and he made it clear that everyone was meant to be sapient, literally meaning they were meant to have "sound judgement", just not actual personalities and complex emotions like they did end up having, sorry my mistake. I guess by making their creations actual living beings and not just robots like the Vahki they gave them the potential to develop like they did.Just to elaborate on my point with the Ignika, I meant that in Inferno, it was stated that the point of all the safeguards was to prevent the mask from being taken before its destined time. That meant that the GBs were expection someone to come down there, probably Toa, and sacrifice themself for the sake of Mata Nui. That doesn't sound like nanotech to me, which was my point.Also, about the light-shadow thing, how would it just develop in relation to sapience? Can light and shadow just develop? Also, I don't think it was a binary system; we're talking about physical light and shadow here, as evidenced by Roodaka's ability to use shadow by hacking into her inner shadow.Other than that, you make good points, the idea that the GBs made everyone sapient from the start but didn't realize it explains a lot. My point was that I felt most previous story implied something contrary to Angonce's thoughts in TYQ.

[The Iron Toa]

So basically, they wanted them to be able to make decisions -- which could go wrong and interfere with the MU's operation, hence the need for safeguards such as guardians of the Ignika -- but not to have the personality and emotions they developed. Is that right?But speaking of the inner light/darkness thing and how it could develop over time, I thought Shadow wasn't originally associated with evil.

[bonesiii]

I actually just recently read some posts by GregF in the old forums regarding this and he made it clear that everyone was meant to be sapient, literally meaning they were meant to have "sound judgement", just not actual personalities and complex emotions like they did end up having, sorry my mistake.

Interesting; you wouldn't happen to have the relevant quotes handy still would you?

Just to elaborate on my point with the Ignika, I meant that in Inferno, it was stated that the point of all the safeguards was to prevent the mask from being taken before its destined time. That meant that the GBs were expection someone to come down there, probably Toa, and sacrifice themself for the sake of Mata Nui. That doesn't sound like nanotech to me, which was my point.

Well, cells in our bodies sacrifice themselves all the time. And "nanotech" is obviously just a metaphor anyways since they're -not- nanoscopic, but the same basic sizes as the Agori, etc.

Also, about the light-shadow thing, how would it just develop in relation to sapience? Can light and shadow just develop? Also, I don't think it was a binary system; we're talking about physical light and shadow here, as evidenced by Roodaka's ability to use shadow by hacking into her inner shadow.

Lemme answer the second part first since it's about my theory (that was the loosest part of the theory though). Light and shadow are by definition not physical; they're energy. And in Bionicle physics, there is elemental energy of of light and shadow that is manifested as actual light and shadow energy (of course that too is Bionicle physics). So, under my cyberclay theory I proposed that the molecular machinery in each protodermis molecule used these two contrasting energies for binary base code the same way our computers send binary signals using bursts of electric energy and times of not sending that energy (or "sending" an electric "shadow", if you will).It's also possible something like this is only true within the coding of the brains of the MU beings, not the protodermis itself, so their brains are computers with binary code using light and shadow energy.As for the first question, it's possible moral light and shadow IS the thing that developed, and that is the definition of what the GBs did not expect (since you said the above about Greg's statements I'm not sure sapience is the right term anymore). Then the culture and the like all came from that. Would make sense, because evil is part of the results of the 'sapience' (or whatever).Or it might be a natural effect of it. I don't think I have a good enough grasp on this yet to attempt a satisfying answer at the moment though.

So basically, they wanted them to be able to make decisions -- which could go wrong and interfere with the MU's operation, hence the need for safeguards such as guardians of the Ignika -- but not to have the personality and emotions they developed. Is that right?But speaking of the inner light/darkness thing and how it could develop over time, I thought Shadow wasn't originally associated with evil.

1) Eh... I don't know if I'd even go that far. Have yall heard me talk about my Society Variety theory (about humans... I haven't really thought to actually apply it to BIonicle, ironically)? Basically different personalities with different strengths and weaknesses are very good for society as that way different people are equipped to handle different challenges and tasks.And emotions are present in animals, at least the ones like dogs and cats and the like.As I understand it, it was the development of "extra" in their culture and the like that the GBs did not expect, nor evil. Both of those things stemmed from whatever it is that did develop unexpectedly.2) Did Greg say that? That might help narrow things down a little... Hm... Edited August 9, 2012 by bonesiii

[toa kopaka4372]

Yeah, I have the quote from Greg right here:

To the person who commented that the Great Beings did not know the Matoran were sapient, that is not accurate, if you define sapient (as many dictionaries do) as having sound judgment. Matoran were going to have to be able to react to and adapt to unexpected issues over the 100,000 year journey. If their AI did not have sound judgment built in, how would they do that? But there is a difference between that and developing complex emotional feelings or concepts like unity, duty, destiny, or for that matter building a culture with sports and crafts, etc. all of which the Matoran did. That was what the GBs were not expecting, not that the Matoran would be intelligent beings.

You're theory is pretty interesting. However, I assume that you do not mean the MU inhabitant brains were literally computers, since I recall you saying a while back there's proof they're not.According to BS01, shadow was not originally regarded as evil prior to the Brotherhood's corruption. This could be proof that the light-shadow thing DID develop, and is why shadow became associated with evil. That could work as an explanation along with the Brotherhood becoming corrupt.

[The Iron Toa]

But it's also said the Makuta removed their own inner light so they could become more evil, isn't it? So is shadow considered evil because the Makuta, shadow-affiliated creatures, turned to evil, or are Makuta evil because they embraced their inner shadow?As for Matoran brains, we don't know one way or the other if they're organic or not. But since we know they're made of protodermis of some sort, Bonesiii's idea still could work either way.

[bonesiii]

But there is a difference between that and developing complex emotional feelings or concepts like unity, duty, destiny, or for that matter building a culture with sports and crafts, etc. all of which the Matoran did.

Okay, so, they had sapient intelligence. They may have had simple emotions, as I read it, like "this action is good, that action would be bad" because of their programming. We've established they had imaginations, but were expected only to use them if necessary. And they may have had personalities.And what they developed was complex emotions, moral philosophy, culture -- and then there is the possibility to deviate from what is good.Still not sure what to call that, but I think it leaves room to theorize that the moral light and shadow were always an intended part of it in some way. Whether as something like binary code or what.So what should we call what the GBs didn't think they had, but they got? It seems it's a little more than culture. Freewill?

However, I assume that you do not mean the MU inhabitant brains were literally computers, since I recall you saying a while back there's proof they're not.

What did I say? But obviously they now have emotions, so it's more than just computers like the ones we've made. Our own brains are actually organic versions of computers though. And like Iron Toa said, we don't know much about their brains really.

According to BS01, shadow was not originally regarded as evil prior to the Brotherhood's corruption. This could be proof that the light-shadow thing DID develop, and is why shadow became associated with evil. That could work as an explanation along with the Brotherhood becoming corrupt.

I would be cautious here, though, because of the word "regarded." Regarded by who? Did anyone become unbalanced towards shadow prior to them? Perhaps it always had that capability but nobody had tapped into it and purged their light like that. Then after people saw the evil effects of it they would begin regarding it as evil. I dunno. Just saying, let's not read too much into it.

But it's also said the Makuta removed their own inner light so they could become more evil, isn't it? So is shadow considered evil because the Makuta, shadow-affiliated creatures, turned to evil, or are Makuta evil because they embraced their inner shadow?

Alright, well, if they already knew it could enable them to become more evil, we could theorize that some other beings did this before them purely experimentally. We know there were "evil" beings before the Makuta went public as evil; the Barraki for example. Would this apply to those too?Here's another alternative to the binary thing, though, that I just thought of. Perhaps their brains work more like ours, but the two contrasting energies are the two most basic emotions. Maybe the brains have generators of each, and a system that's normally programmed to tap into each one only when construction and demolition are needed. But perhaps someone like Roodaka "hacking" into the shadow pool would override the normal system that would only let her access the dark emotion when it was needed, so she could tap into it more directly, and gain the elemental abilities out of it.And a Makuta doing this (I don't know if Roodaka purged her light) could do this enough to flood their minds with the dark emotion, and actually make the light generator go dormant, perhaps in a protective mode, or just ruin it so to reverse this it would need repaired/healed.Under this system their brains would still be computerlike, since they -are- artificial, but it would fit more with them being organic like ours, responding to the chemicals of emotions.

[toa kopaka4372]

@bonesii, maybe we can call it freewill, although technically the Matoran always had limited freewill, but just as they developed complex emotions, they became more independent, self-reliant beings. Well, to be honest like your idea that that everyone was always sapient (or whatever you want to call it) but the GBs didn't notice; it explains away how the Toa Mata, Helryx, Hydraxon, the Av-Matoran etc. were "sapient" from the moment of their creation as the story showed (see Swamp of Secrets).Here's what you said a while back regarding MU brains. I don't blame you if you don't remember, it was a post from last year:

I think right here you're making one key assumption that I believe is probably false -- that their brains are like Vahki brains, just computers. There is a ton of evidence that their brains are either biological like ours (though grown artificially) or something non or partly biological that regardless mimicks the system of biological brains.Secondly, I think we do need to appeal to Bionicle physics being different here.Keep in mind all of this is protodermic, and the artificial version of that is capable of infinite powers. Also, the natural version is alive, in an unknown way, and is involved in the working of the MU. Either or both of these factors may have caused an unexpected transformation into sapience.

I'm going to assume their brains are either fully organic or bio-mechanical- either would explain how they're able to experience complex emotions. Also, it makes sense that the GBs would base their brains off of those living in SM, so the brain structures are probably siilar in some way. Still, like you said, it's mostly speculation. We were never too clear on the specifics MU anatomy anyways.I've always assumed it was generally everyone who "regarded" shadow that way, and that changed when the Brotherhood was revealed corrupt. Not a lot of information is available to us on this, so we probably won't reach a definite answer anyhow.I actually really like that alternative- I don't know, it sounds more appealing than the binary code theory. It's a a shame that a theory like that can't be definitely proven. Then again, I guess it's better we don't know exactly how the bodies of the MUians work, it let's us theorize freely.

[bonesiii]

Well, I was kinda thinking "sapient freewill". I dunno. I'm hoping for a single word if we can think of one lol.It occured to me just now that the Makuta might have learned about the moral shadow thing from Tren Krom, through Mutran. Was that before or after they purged their light?And yeah, I should add that a big problem with the binary theory is that the total purging of all light should basically make them brain-dead, not grant them evil powers. Since binary code needs both to function at all. So yeah, something besides binary is more likely.

Edited August 10, 2012 by bonesiii

[darkslizer]

I believe you are confusing sapience with sentience. Sentient means it is conscious, it can feel. I had to look up sapience, though. Dictionary.com says: sa·pi·ent   [sey-pee-uhnt] Show IPAadjective having or showing great wisdom or sound judgment. So no, I don't really think it contradicts much of anything. No offense to toa kopaka4372, but you spelled Makuta wrong. I don't blame you though, I've done that millions of times.

[BobaFett2]

For the most part it seems contradictory. As for guardians for the Mask of Life, that's important because non-sapient creatures can find it and be affected by it.

[fishers64]

OK, in TYQ Angonce clearly thinks that no one in the MU was meant to be as sapient as they ended up being, and yet that is blatantly contradicted by pretty much everything we know about the MU's beginnings and what was previously stated in the story.Antroz said that the Great Beings were created to be more than just laborers in the Shadows in the Sky , and yet Angonce says they weren't. We were told that the Ignika was created to be used to heal Mata Nui, so obviously the traps made were intended for MU residents. It was even explicitly in Inferno that the GBs believed that the 777 stairs, and by extension all the others things put on the way to the Ignika, would be necessary someday.More so, how would light-shadow develop over time? How can light-shadow which happens to be connected to a being's moral state just form?

It doesn't have to "just form". It could have been an innate property of the creation in the first place. There's light and shadow (literally speaking) in there anyway, so when the beings inside the machine came up with complex morals (from their simple machine directives), they learned to associate it with the innate light and shadow they already had.I actually think of it as an indicator thing. Like, the beings who were following Mata Nui's orders and were doing good would read "light", whereas any malfunctioning parts would read "dark", and would require "repairs" to be done to ensure safe operation. The thing is, when the Matoran gained sapience, malfunctioning = dark = evil , and functioning properly = light = good. So light = good and dark = evil. Simple syllogistic logic.

3) Again, you're confusing imagination with sapience. There is imagination in sentience, as in real-life animals. If you have pets, you know this. They will try to think of new solutions for problems. Often faster than we humans lol, since we get bogged down in so many mental distractions.

Ants. Those little things are terrific survivors, ceaselessly hard working, and terrific problem solvers. Apply poison in one spot, they'll just find another way in to whatever you are trying to keep them out of. The GBs wanted ants, I've decided. They got humans, or the equivalent thereof. Talk about a massive inefficiency.

Well, I was kinda thinking "sapient freewill". I dunno. I'm hoping for a single word if we can think of one lol.It occured to me just now that the Makuta might have learned about the moral shadow thing from Tren Krom, through Mutran. Was that before or after they purged their light?

According to BS01, the Makuta "began to shun their inner light" after Makuta took over, which was after the event of Mutran meeting Tren Krom. It's possible that Tren Krom could have known about the "indicator" system I described above, and indicated darkness as going against Mata Nui. I was thinking "consciousness" might be the word you're looking for. That's the difference between the ants and us (aside from the obvious difference of size). We're aware of ourselves and our surroundings, aware that not all is as it appears. That's the big difference - ants will eat whatever appears as food, whether it be leaves or ant poison, but we are aware of the possibility of it happening, and are cautious. And then, when not everything is as it appears, we want to know what really is as it appears.(How Illusion powers are responsible for Matoran Sapience. I digress.)That's what I think happened to the Matoran - when all was not as it appeared, they started to wonder what really was in order not to get continually taken advantage of by more powerful beings (Barraki, Makuta, Dark Hunters, etc).

[Takanuvainika]

I thought that matoran gained sapience when Mata Nui Illuminated them with the three virtues.