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The rockputer comprises both the rocks and the mechanisms for moving the rocks in response to input. If the rock moving mechanism is structured properly, then t
by psb217 11y ago
The rockputer comprises both the rocks and the mechanisms for moving the rocks in response to input. If the rock moving mechanism is structured properly, then the rock movement patterns could adapt to changes in the inputs to the overall rockputer system.
The level of complexity of the "passive" components of the system (i.e. the rocks) is irrelevant to whether or not the system can effect conscious-seeming behaviour when acting dynamically. Analogously, the underlying components of people, i.e. atoms, are clearly quite dumb on their own. When those atoms are allowed to evolve collectively over time, according to dynamics dictated by basic physical laws, conscious-seeming behaviour magically appears.
You can't deny the possibility of a conscious rockputer just by considering properties of the rocks.
- pdonis 11y ago> The rockputer comprises both the rocks and the mechanisms for moving the rocks in response to input. Yes, and in that case, all the actual computation is being done by the mechanism, not the rocks. As you say, the rocks are just "passive" components. I agree that, in principle, such a system could compute; but it still has the problem of computing on a time scale that supports appropriate interactions with its environment. Moving rocks around in accordance with some set of computational rules based on inputs is very slow--quite possibly too slow to respond appropriately to inputs. For example, if incoming light rays are carrying information about a tidal wave that is about to swamp the rockputer and destroy its structure, could the rockputer compute an appropriate response (such as moving itself to higher ground) quickly enough to save itself?