Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
> Peter Jones writes (quoting SP):
>
> > > > > This does not necessarily mean that the consciousness is caused by or
> > > > > supervenes on the pattern of dots, any more that the number 3 is caused by or supervenes
> > > > > on a collection of 3 objects. If anything, it could be the other way around: the GoL pattern
> > > > > supervenes on, or is isomorphic with, the consciousness which resides in Platonia.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ????
> > >
> > > Well, this is the whole problem we have been discussing these past few weeks. The computer
> > > exhibits intelligent behaviour and we conclude that it is probably conscious. The physical
> > > states of the computer are clearly the cause of its behaviour, and the means whereby we
> > > can observe it or interact with it, but is it correct to say that the physical states are the cause
> > > of its *consciousness*?
> >
> > If physicalism is correct, only physical states exist,
> > so yes.
> >
> > > At first glance, the answer is "yes". But what about a computer which
> > > goes through exactly the same physical states as part of a recording, as discussed in my other
> > > posts?
> >
> > It won't be exactly the same state, since dispositions and
> > counterfactuals have
> > a physical basis.
>
> A classical computer is perfectly deterministic - it wouldn't be much use as a computer if were not. If
> it is provided with the same inputs, it will go through the same sequence of physical states.
But here it is not the computation itself that is
recorded, just the input that drives it.
> On run
> no. 1 it could be provided with input from a human, or a true random number generator, for example
> one based on radioactive decay. On run no. 2 it could be provided with a recording of the input from
> run no. 1, so that we know exactly what the computer's responses will be, as surely as we know what
> the behaviour of a tape recording or a clockwork mechanism will be.
That doesn't prove that a recording is the same as a
a computation. What you are talking about is
a computation driven by a recording.
> > >If you say this is not conscious, you have a problem, because identical electrical activity
> > > in the computer's circuitry would then on one occasion cause consciousness and on another
> > > occasion not.
> >
> > It all depends on what you mean by "activity". The total physical
> > state will be different.
>
> No, it will be exactly the same. The same keystrokes or voice commands are entered the second time
> around from a recording.
>
> > > If you say it is conscious, then you have to allow that a recording or an inputless
> > > machine can be conscious, something many computationalists are loathe to do.
> >
> > That depends whether they are consciousness-computationalists
> > or cognition-computationalists.
>
> It's consciousness which is the more problematic. Many cognitive scientists have traditionally eschewed
> consciousness as unreal, unimportant or too difficult to study.
You haven't shown that a recording per se must have consciousness.
> Stathis Papaioannou
> _________________________________________________________________
> Be one of the first to try Windows Live Mail.
> http://ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx?versionId=5d21c51a-b161-4314-9b0e-4911fb2b2e6d
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group.
To post to this group, send email to everything-list.domain.name.hidden
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list-unsubscribe.domain.name.hidden
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
Received on Sat Aug 26 2006 - 08:31:02 PDT