On Feb 22, 6:10 pm, Pierz <pier...@gmail.com> wrote: > 'Yes doctor' is merely an establishment of the assumption of comp. > Saying yes means you are a computationalist. If you say no the you are > not one, and one cannot proceed with the argument that follows - > though then the onus will be on you to explain *why* you don't believe > a computer can substitute for a brain.
That's what is circular. The question cheats by using the notion of a bet to put the onus on us to take comp for granted in the first place when there is no reason to presume that bets can exist in a universe where comp is true. It's a loaded question, but in a sneaky way. It is to say 'if you don't think the computer is happy, that's fine, but you have to explain why'. > If you've said yes, then this > of course entails that you believe that 'free choice' and 'personal > value' (or the subjective experience of them) can be products of a > computer program, so there's no contradiction. Right, so why ask the question? Why not just ask 'do you believe a computer program can be happy'? When it is posed as a logical consequence instead of a decision, it implicitly privileges the passive voice. We are invited to believe that we have chosen to agree to comp because there is a logical argument for it rather than an arbitrary preference committed to in advance. It is persuasion by rhetoric, not by science. > In fact the circularity > is in your reasoning. You are merely reasserting your assumption that > choice and personal value must be non-comp, No, the scenario asserts that by relying on the device of choice and personal value as the engine of the thought experiment. My objection is not based on any prejudice against comp I may have, it is based on the prejudice of the way the question is posed. > but that is exactly what > is at issue in the yes doctor question. That is precisely what we're > betting on. If we are betting on anything then we are in a universe which has not been proved to be supported by comp alone. Craig -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
