Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
> Peter Jones writes (quoting SP):
>
> > > I've never really understood why computationalists insist that a system
> > > must be able to handle counterfactuals in order for consciousness to occur,
> >
> > I've explained that several times: computer programmes contain
> > if-then statements.
> >
> > > other than that otherwise any physical system could be seen as implementing
> > > any computation, which does not seem to me a good reason. In any case,
> > > Maudlin shows that the requirement for handling counterfactuals leads to
> > > a situation where of two systems with identical physical activity, one is
> > > conscious and the other not.
> >
> > If two systems differ counterfactually, they are not physically
> > identical.
>
> What about an inputless computer program, running deterministically like a recording.
> Would that count as a program at all,
It would be a trivial case.
> and could it be a conscious program, given that
> computationalism is true?
Obviously not, since people have inputs.
> Stathis Papaioannou
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Received on Sat Aug 19 2006 - 09:32:47 PDT