Brent Meeker wrote: > Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > > Peter Jones writes: > > > > [Stathis Papaioannou] > > > >>>> If every computation is implemented everywhere anyway, this is > >>>> equivalent to > >>>> the situation where every computation exists as a platonic object, or > >>>> every > >>>> computation exists implemented on some computer or brain in a material > >>>> multiverse. This gives rise to the issues of quantum immortality and the > >>>> white rabbit problem, as discussed at great length in the past on this > >>>> list. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> One way to discredit all this foolishness is to abandon > >>>> computationalism... > > > > > > [Brent Meeker] > > > >>> I don't see how assuming consciousness is non-computational solves any of > >>> these conundrums about every object implementing every possible > >>> computation. > > > > > > > >> It would mean that every object implementing every possible computation > >> doesn't > >> imply that every object is conscious. Of course, one can also deny that > >> conclusion be regading computation as structural rather than semantic. > > > > > > You don't have to go as far as saying that *computation* is structural > > rather than > > semantic. You only need to say that *consciousness* is structural, and hence > > non-computational. That's what some cognitive scientists have done, eg. > > Penrose, > > Searle, Maudlin. Personally, I don't see why there is such a disdain for > > the idea > > that every computation is implemented, including every conscious > > computation. The > > idea is still consistent with all the empirical facts, since we can only > > interact > > with a special subset of computations, implemented on conventional > > computers and > > brains. > > > > Stathis Papaioannou > > Unless you can say what it is about a computation that makes it a unique > computation > to us and what it is about a computation that makes is conscious, then > nothing has > been gained. Clearly it is not true that we can interact only with > computations in > brains and computers. We can interact with pool balls and molecules and > weather and > lots of other things.
But we can't interact with more than one of the computations a pool ball is supposedly performing -- the rest are just hypothetical possibilities. > Brent Meeker --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
