> Is Frodo conscious? Probably not. How do you know? > I'd say that act of computation has more to say about consciousness that the actual result itself. And

> Is Frodo conscious? Probably not. How do you know? > I'd say that act of computation has more to say about consciousness that the actual result itself. And what is the act of computation? Is it not just a progression of relationships in the physical world? Surely consciousness doesn't require an observer to look at the atoms bouncing around in the computer to decide that they are simulation of Frodo. Surely it's just the evolving relationship between the atoms that's all that matters. If we could interpret any physical system as evolving in a way that's isomorphic to a brain, shouldn't that also produce consciousness? Maybe at the end of the day consciousness is just the "existence" (whatever that means) of a certain Turing machine or number. And if all of your understanding of this world is based on the state of your brain now, then isn't it a simpler explanation that now and your impression of consciousness, in this moment, is all that really exists? A philosopher is someone bright enough to pose such questions and dim enough to pursue their answers.