5 ms·
Because no machine that currently exists even reaches the threshold where it's even debatable whether their feelings are real. The only place where it could be
by kosievdmerwe 7y ago
Because no machine that currently exists even reaches the threshold where it's even debatable whether their feelings are real.
The only place where it could be a debate is in the fictional realm or when speculation about technology at least decades out.
So its hardly surprising that most people have that view.
- robbrown451 7y agoIt's fine if you are saying "at least decades out." What I am talking about is people who say "never." They are drawing a black and white line, and I don't think that makes sense. BTW, let me ask you this: do you think a mosquito can feel pain? (or if not, what is the simplest animal that can?) Are those feelings real?
- kosievdmerwe 7y agoFair enough. A mosquito is simple enough that I don't know, nor do I particularly care. Most insects are just biological automotons imo. So they react to pain, but I'm not sure they feel it. As for the smallest, I don't know. It pretty much falls in my general philosophy when things are in a spectrum or there is a line. Typically there are things that are definitely white and things that are definitely black, so there's a line but it's somewhere in the large zone of grey. Or maybe a clear line doesn't exist and we can only ever slowly narrow the grey zone. Either way, this uncertainty doesn't invalidate whether black and white examples exist imo. For instance, bacteria definitely don't matter, whereas humans definitely do. Though thinking about it the line probably depends on the observing species, would elder gods think anything on our plane is real as we are so insignificant and simple compared to them?