Brent Meeker writes:
> > > OK, but that means "observer moments" are not fundamental and the > > "illusion" of their continuity may be provided by the continuity of > > their underpinning. But I don't see how a strictly stepwise discrete > > process as contemplated in the UD can provide that continuity. It was my > > understanding that it assumed consciousness could be provided by a > > series of disjoint states.> > >> > > Brent Meeker> > > > It's an assumption of computationalism that the discrete computational > > steps will lead to continuity of consciousness. Moreover, it's an > > assumption of computationalism that a discontinuity in substrate of > > implementation (i.e. from brain to digital computer) will preserve > > continuity of consciousness.> > Maybe that assumption is inconsistent.> > Computational steps have an order in Platonia. In implementing them in the material world, as in a computer, the sequentiallity (is that a word?) of the steps is provided by the underlying physics just as the 1s and 0s are provided by switches. But without the continuity of the substrate it seems the states need some axiomatic, inherent order as in Platonia. So then it is not clear that states can be chopped arbitrarily finely and still function as computations - or a stream of conscious states.> > Brent Meeker
I don't see how it is possible to mix up something any more thoroughly in the real world than it is already mixed up in Platonia. It's not as if God has to explicitly put the integers in line one after the other: they just naturally form a sequence, and they would no less form a sequence if they were written on cards and thrown to the wind. Explicit ordering in the physical world is important from a third person perspective. If the putative sequence has a first person experience, and the substrate of its implementation is transparent to that first person experience (eg. an entity in a virtual reality environment with no external input) then the implicit ordering in Platonia is sufficient to create the first person impression of continuity.
Stathis Papaioannou
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Received on Mon Jan 29 2007 - 00:01:00 PST