It's a common sentiment, even among many staunch materialists, that we will never understand consciousness. It's one I held to some degree until a few years ago. But the more I've read about neuroscience, the more convinced I've become that we will eventually understand it, at least at an objective level. That's actually an important distinction to make … Continue reading Why I think we will eventually have a scientific understanding of consciousness
Tag: Mind
The feasibility of mind uploading
Neuroscientist Kenneth Miller has an interesting post at the New York Times discussing the feasibility of mind uploading: I am a theoretical neuroscientist. I study models of brain circuits, precisely the sort of models that would be needed to try to reconstruct or emulate a functioning brain from a detailed knowledge of its structure. I … Continue reading The feasibility of mind uploading
A machine in the likeness of a human mind
In the fictional far future of the classic science fiction novel, 'Dune', computers are taboo across all human cultures, the result of an ancient jihad which resulted in the religious commandment: "Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind." The result of this commandment, is that computers, robots, or artificial intelligence … Continue reading A machine in the likeness of a human mind
How An Epilepsy Treatment Shaped Our Understanding of Consciousness
I've written before about split brain patients, and what they mean for consciousness. Emily Esfahani Smith has a pretty good write up on the experiments and what they showed: How An Epilepsy Treatment Shaped Our Understanding of Consciousness - The Atlantic. The patients were there because they all struggled with violent and uncontrollable seizures. The procedure … Continue reading How An Epilepsy Treatment Shaped Our Understanding of Consciousness
Michael Graziano on building a brain
I've written a few times on the Attention Theory schema of consciousness. It's a theory I like because it's scientific, eschewing any mystical steps, such as assuming that consciousness just magically arises at a certain level of complexity. It's almost certainly not perfect, but I think it's a major step in the right direction. Michael Graziano, … Continue reading Michael Graziano on building a brain
Zombies discussing philosophical zombies
Click through for full sized version, and philosophical explanation if you're not familiar with David Chalmer's and Daniel Dennett's positions on philosophical zombies. Philosophy Humans - Existential Comics. I can't say I've ever been too impressed with the idea of a philosophical zombie. I could see maybe a zombie existing that behaves identically to a … Continue reading Zombies discussing philosophical zombies
What do you think about machines that think?
The Edge question for this year was, "What do you think about machines that think?" There are a lot of good responses, and some predictably inane ones. Daniel Dennett gives a good write up on why the Singularity is overblown, and points out something that I've said myself, that the real danger isn't artificial intelligence, but … Continue reading What do you think about machines that think?
Worm ‘Brain’ uploaded into robot, which then behaves like a worm
Steve Morris clued me in to this article: Worm ‘Brain’ Uploaded Into Lego Robot | Singularity HUB. Can a digitally simulated brain on a computer perform tasks just like the real thing? For simple commands, the answer, it would seem, is yes it can. Researchers at the OpenWorm project recently hooked a simulated worm brain to … Continue reading Worm ‘Brain’ uploaded into robot, which then behaves like a worm
X-Men: Days of Future Past, and multiple instances of a mind
This weekend, I watched X-Men: Days of Future Past, which I enjoyed. This post discusses some aspects of that movie, most notably the ending, so if you haven't seen it yet and don't want to be spoiled, you might consider skipping it until later. In the movie, mankind is in a devastating war with the mutants, … Continue reading X-Men: Days of Future Past, and multiple instances of a mind
Elon Musk: Killer robots will be here within 5 Years
Not sure what to make of this one: ELON MUSK: Killer Robots Will Be Here Within 5 Years - Business Insider. Elon Musk has been ranting about killer robots again. Musk posted a comment on the futurology site Edge.org, warning readers that developments in AI could bring about robots that may autonomously decide that it is … Continue reading Elon Musk: Killer robots will be here within 5 Years
SelfAwarePatterns 