To summarise the summary... Hypothetically, we have some computing machine that generates a conscious experience. Since computation is deterministic, this will create the *same* conscious experience if we re-run it duplicating the same initial state and inputs. (For example, each run might give rise to the following report "I awoke and found myself on a hillside, saw a white rabbit run past, thought it was odd that it was wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch, answered my mobile phone, and now I'm speaking to you.")
Now we remove unused parts of the machinery, and verify that running it produces the same output. Then we remove arbitrary amounts of the processing machanism, which we replace with recordings of their output. Ultimately we remove the entire machine and play back a recording of the state of every component, and, we assume, get the same output as we did when the machinery was performing computations. (We may even turn the recording into a static film, or a book of instructions, and require that an external observer brings the consciousness to life through their actions.) The question is, what - if anything - does this prove? Possible answer (it seems to me) include: 1. it shows that consciousness doesn't exist 2. it shows that a recording can be conscious 3. it shows that a recording can *appear* conscious (but then at which point in the removal process did the machine stop being conscious?) 4. it shows that physical supervenience is impossible, and hence consciousness isn't the result of computation 5. it shows that physical supervenience is impossible, and hence, if consciousness *is* the result of computation, it can't be supported by a physical machine. Any others I've missed? -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
