--- On Mon, 11/17/08, Richard Loosemore <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Okay, let me phrase it like this: I specifically say (or > rather I should have done... this is another thing I need to > make more explicit!) that the predictions are about making > alterations at EXACTLY the boundary of the "analysis > mechanisms". > > So, when we test the predictions, we must first understand > the mechanics of human (or AGI) cognition well enough to be > able to locate the exact scope of the analysis mechanisms. > > Then, we make the tests by changing things around just > outside the reach of those mechanisms. > > Then we ask subjects (human or AGI) what happened to their > subjective experiences. If the subjects are ourselves - > which I strongly suggest must be the case - then we can ask > ourselves what happened to our subjective experiences. > > My prediction is that if the swaps are made at that > boundary, then things will be as I state. But if changes > are made within the scope of the analysis mechanisms, then > we will not see those changes in the qualia. > > So the theory could be falsified if changes in the qualia > are NOT consistent with the theory, when changes are made at > different points in the system. The theory is all about the > analysis mechanisms being the culprit, so in that sense it > is extremely falsifiable. > > Now, correct me if I am wrong, but is there anywhere else > in the literature where you have you seen anyone make a > prediction that the qualia will be changed by the alteration > of a specific mechanism, but not by other, fairly similar > alterations?
Your predictions are not testable. How do you know if another person has experienced a change in qualia, or is simply saying that they do? If you do the experiment on yourself, how do you know if you really experience a change in qualia, or only believe that you do? There is a difference, you know. Belief is only a rearrangement of your neurons. I have no doubt that if you did the experiments you describe, that the brains would be rearranged consistently with your predictions. But what does that say about consciousness? -- Matt Mahoney, [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=120640061-aded06 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
