Brent Meeker writes: > 1Z wrote: > > > > Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > ... > >>I've never really understood why computationalists insist that a system > >>must be able to handle counterfactuals in order for consciousness to occur, > > > > > > I've explained that several times: computer programmes contain > > if-then statements. > > > > > >>other than that otherwise any physical system could be seen as implementing > >>any computation, which does not seem to me a good reason. In any case, > >>Maudlin shows that the requirement for handling counterfactuals leads to > >>a situation where of two systems with identical physical activity, one is > >>conscious and the other not. > > > > > > If two systems differ counterfactually, they are not physically > > identical. > > I don't think I understand this either. Computer programs contain if-then > statements which branch the process depending on the data input to the > program. > But there is no real distinction between data an program. So if you insist > that computed intelligence or consciousness depends on counterfactuals in > the > program that seems to me to be the same as insisting that the computation is > implemented in some way that divides it from input data, i.e. it is in an > environment. > > I'm sympathetic to this view. I think intelligence is relative to an > environment. But I'm not sure what computationalists think of this; I > believe > they suppose the environment can be simulated too and so then the whole thing > is > a closed system and there are no conuterfactual branchings. > > Brent Meeker
Is it possible that we are currently actors in a single, deterministic, non-branching computer program, with the illusion of free will and if-then contingency in general being due to the fact that we don't know the details of how the program will play out? 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 [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
