4 ms·

Depends on whether you believe in Strong AI or Weak AI, whether a simulation is consciousness or merely behaves like consciousness. And then, because you can't

by Aqueous 13y ago

Depends on whether you believe in Strong AI or Weak AI, whether a simulation is consciousness or merely behaves like consciousness. And then, because you can't decide between those two philosophical frameworks, you quickly realize that you can't possibly prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a computer is or isn't conscious. If we can't prove that it isn't conscious, are we obligated to assume that it is? I'm not entirely sure we are. It's like asking if we can't prove that there is no God, are we obligated - ethically - to behave as if there is one? Most agnostics and atheists would say absolutely not. Not being able to prove the negation of a fact is not the same as proving a fact.

civilian 13y ago
"whether a simulation is consciousness or merely behaves like consciousness." Crucial point. Have you read Peter Watt's Blindsight? I can't recommend it enough. http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm (it's also available in a pay-money format) There's also the whole idea of whether humans are consciousness or merely behave like consciousness. There's the idea that the sentient "you" is just a narrator for the decisions that your brain makes. This is one example of that: http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080411/full/news.2008.751.html http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080411/full/news.2008.751.ht...
- Aqueous 13y ago
  'There's also the whole idea of whether humans are consciousness or merely behave like consciousness.' Well this would be the counterargument. We behave ethically towards humans. Yet we have no conclusive evidence that other human beings are conscious. So is that a good enough reason to treat conscious-behaving computers ethically? Thanks for the links.
- wellboy 13y ago
  My take on this. As long as mankind has existed that things are the way they are, because of some magical thing and thousands of times, over and over again, it just wasn't magical, it could be explained through experiments and logical conclusion. The same will happen for human consciousness. Does it sound more plausible that the human mind is conscious, because of billions of brain cells with trillions of connections or because of some magical thing? The human mind is just an incredibly sophisticated machine and as soon as we can rebuild that, we will have an equally conscious computer.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
dclowd9901 13y ago
If a consciousness can mimic fear, panic and anxiety about its own existence, that's all I need to put some protective rules in place. It has to grow organically out of the code. Even if it's all "simulated," it's still represented. Otherwise, you might as well assume all humans are faking their external emotions, which would then make you a sociopath. One of the central tenets of our reality as human beings is that we can't truly know what it is to be another. We make up for it with empathy, and we should extend that to any being that we have the capacity of empathizing with through their shared external emotives.

by Aqueous 13y ago

civilian 13y ago

"whether a simulation is consciousness or merely behaves like consciousness." Crucial point. Have you read Peter Watt's Blindsight? I can't recommend it enough. http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm (it's also available in a pay-money format) There's also the whole idea of whether humans are consciousness or merely behave like consciousness. There's the idea that the sentient "you" is just a narrator for the decisions that your brain makes. This is one example of that: http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080411/full/news.2008.751.html http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080411/full/news.2008.751.ht...

Aqueous 13y ago
'There's also the whole idea of whether humans are consciousness or merely behave like consciousness.' Well this would be the counterargument. We behave ethically towards humans. Yet we have no conclusive evidence that other human beings are conscious. So is that a good enough reason to treat conscious-behaving computers ethically? Thanks for the links.
wellboy 13y ago
My take on this. As long as mankind has existed that things are the way they are, because of some magical thing and thousands of times, over and over again, it just wasn't magical, it could be explained through experiments and logical conclusion. The same will happen for human consciousness. Does it sound more plausible that the human mind is conscious, because of billions of brain cells with trillions of connections or because of some magical thing? The human mind is just an incredibly sophisticated machine and as soon as we can rebuild that, we will have an equally conscious computer.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

dclowd9901 13y ago

If a consciousness can mimic fear, panic and anxiety about its own existence, that's all I need to put some protective rules in place. It has to grow organically out of the code. Even if it's all "simulated," it's still represented. Otherwise, you might as well assume all humans are faking their external emotions, which would then make you a sociopath. One of the central tenets of our reality as human beings is that we can't truly know what it is to be another. We make up for it with empathy, and we should extend that to any being that we have the capacity of empathizing with through their shared external emotives.