One of the things I get reminded of every few years, is that difficult determinations often look clearer when you consider them in a wider scope. Years ago, when I was trying to figure out whether conservative or progressive political policies were better, I discovered that widening my investigation to history helped immensely, and widening even further … Continue reading What counts as consciousness?
Tag: Mind
Libertarian free will is incoherent, and that’s good for responsibility
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCGtkDzELAI For a while, I'd considered myself done debating free will, having expressed everything about it I had to say. However, with this Crash Course video, and in light of the discussion on physicality we had earlier this summer, I realized I do have some additional thoughts on it. Just a quick reminder: I'm a compatibilist. I'm convinced … Continue reading Libertarian free will is incoherent, and that’s good for responsibility
Don’t trust your emotions. They will betray you.
I've mentioned before that my views have changed dramatically over the years. But thinking about that the other day, it occurred to me that most of that change happened in a fairly narrow period. At the beginning of 2004, I was still a nominal Catholic, often voted Republican, was suspicious of gays and other non-traditional groups, and … Continue reading Don’t trust your emotions. They will betray you.
The challenges of copying a mind
Michael Graziano has an article at the Atlantic looking at the plausibility of mind copying. He doesn't beat around the bush, going all in with the title: Why You Should Believe in the Digital Afterlife, although the actual text of the article is more nuanced, and echoes what I hear from most neuroscientists. As a neuroscientist, … Continue reading The challenges of copying a mind
Damasio’s theory of consciousness
Antonio Damasio is a neuroscientist and neurologist who has published a number of theories about how the brain and mind work. Unlike many theories of mind, his are thoroughly grounded in neuroanatomy. Central to Damasio's theory of consciousness is the idea of biological value, that which helps in preserving homeostasis, which of course aids in … Continue reading Damasio’s theory of consciousness
SMBC: A treatise on machine ethics
via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal A better question might be, if a robot has conflicting programming, what will it do? That seems to be where most human moral dilemmas arise, when our instincts are in conflict.
SMBC: Do humans have feelings?
Apropos to the previous post, albeit from a different angle. Hovertext: "This comic was posted in order to increase my social status, acquire wealth, and thus improve the reproductive fitness of my offspring." Click through for full sized version and red button caption. via SMBC I've noted many times before that emotions and other instinctual … Continue reading SMBC: Do humans have feelings?
What would it mean for a machine to suffer?
One of the dividing lines I often hear in discussions about whether we should regard an artificially intelligent machine as a fellow being is, does it have the capacity to suffer? It's an interesting criteria, since it implies that what's important is that there be something there for us to empathize with. But it raises an interesting question. … Continue reading What would it mean for a machine to suffer?
Consciousness is composed of non-consciousness
The components of a thing are not individually the thing. For example, the components of the chair I type most of my blog posts from are not the chair itself, but the wood of the frame, the springs for the back and bottom, some metal parts for the reclining mechanism, the fabric coverings, cushions, etc. … Continue reading Consciousness is composed of non-consciousness
Is reality an illusion? If so, does it matter?
Donald D. Hoffman, a psychologist at the University of California, Irving, has been getting a lot of attention recently for his views, that evolutionary evidence indicates that reality is an illusion, that the only thing that exists are conscious minds. This is a modern version of an ancient concept, called idealism. The earliest writings about … Continue reading Is reality an illusion? If so, does it matter?
SelfAwarePatterns 