4 ms·

Highly unlikely, as we are not nearer conscious machines now than we were 100 years ago. There is nothing about computers that make them more conscious than e.g

by erokar 7y ago

Highly unlikely, as we are not nearer conscious machines now than we were 100 years ago. There is nothing about computers that make them more conscious than e.g. radiators.

tim333 7y ago
Well if you Google "conscious", the dictionary definition starts: "aware of and responding to one's surroundings" I'd suggest self driving cars do that better than radiators.
- erokar 7y ago
  This topic deserves a little more than a dictionary definition. There's no reason to believe self-driving cars has any more of a subjective experience, qualia, than radiators.
  - SmellyGeekBoy 7y ago
    There's also no reason to believe that our own "consciousness" is any more than a significantly advanced algorithm. It's a very human trait to put ourselves on a pedestal.
    - erokar 7y ago
      Please substantiate your claim. You'd need to rely on dualism/metaphysics to support the view that consciousness is just an algorithm. Without some medium to implement it, an algorithm is just an abstract idea. The implementation could in principle be arbitrary. I belive consciousness can be explained within a monist, materialistic worldview. I see it as the result of a biological process, much like digestion. To stretch this analogy (perhaps a tad too far): You can simulate digestion on a computer but it will never produce a real shit for you. I think John Searle got this right and can recommend his book The Mystery of Consciousness.
      - cr0sh 7y ago
        > I see it as the result of a biological process, much like digestion. To stretch this analogy (perhaps a tad too far): You can simulate digestion on a computer but it will never produce a real shit for you. While not a simulation, but it is somewhat relevant: https://wimdelvoye.be/work/cloaca/ https://wimdelvoye.be/work/cloaca/
  - tim333 7y ago
    Maybe not. To move to a situation where the self driving car is asking itself "I wonder if my experience of the red of a traffic light is the same as other self driving cars experience" you'd have to add language, thinking and feelings however I think even present cars are further down that road on the whole than radiators.

by erokar 7y ago

Highly unlikely, as we are not nearer conscious machines now than we were 100 years ago. There is nothing about computers that make them more conscious than e.g. radiators.

tim333 7y ago

Well if you Google "conscious", the dictionary definition starts: "aware of and responding to one's surroundings" I'd suggest self driving cars do that better than radiators.

erokar 7y ago
This topic deserves a little more than a dictionary definition. There's no reason to believe self-driving cars has any more of a subjective experience, qualia, than radiators.
- SmellyGeekBoy 7y ago
  There's also no reason to believe that our own "consciousness" is any more than a significantly advanced algorithm. It's a very human trait to put ourselves on a pedestal.
  - erokar 7y ago
    Please substantiate your claim. You'd need to rely on dualism/metaphysics to support the view that consciousness is just an algorithm. Without some medium to implement it, an algorithm is just an abstract idea. The implementation could in principle be arbitrary. I belive consciousness can be explained within a monist, materialistic worldview. I see it as the result of a biological process, much like digestion. To stretch this analogy (perhaps a tad too far): You can simulate digestion on a computer but it will never produce a real shit for you. I think John Searle got this right and can recommend his book The Mystery of Consciousness.
    - cr0sh 7y ago
      > I see it as the result of a biological process, much like digestion. To stretch this analogy (perhaps a tad too far): You can simulate digestion on a computer but it will never produce a real shit for you. While not a simulation, but it is somewhat relevant: https://wimdelvoye.be/work/cloaca/ https://wimdelvoye.be/work/cloaca/
- tim333 7y ago
  Maybe not. To move to a situation where the self driving car is asking itself "I wonder if my experience of the red of a traffic light is the same as other self driving cars experience" you'd have to add language, thinking and feelings however I think even present cars are further down that road on the whole than radiators.