4 ms·

Self As Symbol

• evincarofautumn 15y ago
  On a related note, “Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid” was good, though rather slow going. I figure most people here will have read it, but in case not, Hofstadter basically contends that any sufficiently complex system is capable of consciousness. He almost goes so far as to say that a complex system actually necessitates consciousness. In much the same way that it’s difficult to prevent a language from becoming Turing-complete, perhaps it’s just as difficult to prevent biological systems from tending toward self-awareness. I’m inclined to agree, and this gives me a couple of hopes: first, that we will someday make an AI that most agree is genuinely conscious; and second, that we will find a way to gradually replace a brain in its entirety with a non-biological substitute, so that we could live forever—in mind if not in body. Far-off dreams, but what’s the harm? If there are any neurobiologists in the room, take it away. :P