3 ms·

Does it matter? I'm with Chalmers - of course it's a good question to ask. Can we tell? We don't know if we can tell or not. That's why we're asking the questi

Does it matter? I'm with Chalmers - of course it's a good question to ask. Can we tell? We don't know if we can tell or not. That's why we're asking the question.

FartyMcFarter 3y ago
It matters just as much as any other philosophical debate, at the very least.
nonrandomstring 3y ago
It matters very much for the reasons I mention in this paragraph [0] "A century ago Nietzsche said that after we killed God we would search for him everywhere, tearing apart every institution and everything we love and believe in. Finally, we found computer technology. We now bow before it and throw onto the sacrificial pyre our time, our dignity and our fellow humans. Computers cannot be wrong. Even if good men and women must die to maintain that belief." Is <Deity> real? Let's say you are in a temple surrounded by a hundred sword wielding devout believers who will cut off your head and play football with it if you offend them. Right there, <Deity> is very real. Whether you personally believe or not, there is a real situation, in which you are not in control and your opinion, logic, reason and "rightness" as as good as irrelevant. Other people make <Deity> real there. We are in a world where people believe in computers and digital technology. It's more than just a scientific question, it's become an ideology with laws to back it up. This is no different to pre-Enlightenment Christianity or Caliphate. You had better believe in the transcendence of cybernetic systems.. or else! [1,2] [0] https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/postoffice/ https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/postoffice/ [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00168-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00168-8 [2] https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/computer-always-right-law-must-be-revisited-to-avoid-another-post-office-it-scandal/ https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/computer-a...

Does it matter? I'm with Chalmers - of course it's a good question to ask. Can we tell? We don't know if we can tell or not. That's why we're asking the question.

FartyMcFarter 3y ago

It matters just as much as any other philosophical debate, at the very least.

nonrandomstring 3y ago

It matters very much for the reasons I mention in this paragraph [0] "A century ago Nietzsche said that after we killed God we would search for him everywhere, tearing apart every institution and everything we love and believe in. Finally, we found computer technology. We now bow before it and throw onto the sacrificial pyre our time, our dignity and our fellow humans. Computers cannot be wrong. Even if good men and women must die to maintain that belief." Is <Deity> real? Let's say you are in a temple surrounded by a hundred sword wielding devout believers who will cut off your head and play football with it if you offend them. Right there, <Deity> is very real. Whether you personally believe or not, there is a real situation, in which you are not in control and your opinion, logic, reason and "rightness" as as good as irrelevant. Other people make <Deity> real there. We are in a world where people believe in computers and digital technology. It's more than just a scientific question, it's become an ideology with laws to back it up. This is no different to pre-Enlightenment Christianity or Caliphate. You had better believe in the transcendence of cybernetic systems.. or else! [1,2] [0] https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/postoffice/ https://cybershow.uk/blog/posts/postoffice/ [1] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00168-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00168-8 [2] https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/computer-always-right-law-must-be-revisited-to-avoid-another-post-office-it-scandal/ https://www.bcs.org/articles-opinion-and-research/computer-a...