On 27/10/2015 3:12 pm, Jason Resch wrote:
On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 10:25 PM, Bruce Kellett
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
On 27/10/2015 12:27 pm, Jason Resch wrote:
On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 8:15 PM, Bruce Kellett
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
On 27/10/2015 12:05 pm, Jason Resch wrote:
On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 7:37 PM, Bruce Kellett
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
On 27/10/2015 10:52 am, Jason Resch wrote:
On Monday, October 26, 2015, Bruce Kellett
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
> On 27/10/2015 8:16 am, Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
>
> On Tuesday, 27 October 2015, John Clark
<[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>
>>> >
>>> so where does semantic content come from?
>>
>> From examples in the physical world. You can give as
many botanical definitions of the word "tree" as you
want but it will just be a word defined by other words
that are themselves defined by yet more words that
are.... If you tried to dig for meaning all you'd find
is a endless loop, it would just be a game where words
are manipulated according to the rules of botany until
somebody forgot about definitions and pointed to the
ASCII string "t-r-e-e" and then pointed to a large
photosynthesizing organism made largely of cellulose
that exists in the physical world. Then even a martian
would notice a correspondence between this game of
manipulating symbols called "botany" that humans had
invented and the way these large photosynthesizing
organism made largely of cellulose live.
>
> What about a virtual world with trees and observers,
and no I/O devices connecting it to outside trees?
>
> I think Brent answered this in his response to
Russell. The trees of the ordinary physical world do
not connect with anything outside this world either in
order to have semantic content. A virtual world would
be no different in this respect. The point is that the
content comes from something other formal symbol
manipulation -- things such as pointing and sensory
responses. There has to be something other than the
consciousness with which the consciousness can interact.
I take it you've never played video games.
Not with any regularity. But I take it that when you
play such games, you interact with the simulated
environment via the provided interface -- the game only
interacts with itself in so far as the original
programmers designed it to. The semantic content is
provided from outside in either case.
So what do you think would happen if an AI, or uploaded mind
were uploaded into a virtual reality that was fully
disconnected from the physical world? Would that mind no
longer be conscious?
Difficult to tell because, by construction, you can't ask it.
But if both the AI and the VR are programmed by some external
intelligence, semantic content might be provided in that way.
So what you're saying is that depending on what is on the mind of
the programmer, the AI within the virtual reality may or may not
be conscious?
Of course. You wouldn't want to be the result of an incompetent
programmer now, would you?
My desires are irrelevant in the matter. I think I would be conscious
in the same way whether God, or evolution programmed our DNA.
The name of the programmer is irrelevant -- his competence is not. You
would not be conscious in the same way if your brain operated only on
Tuesday afternoons.
Does what is on the mind of makers of video games make a
difference to the game playing experience (assuming the same code
was written either way)?
But you are providing the meaning to the game you are playing.
As it would to an AI within such a game of an entirely isolated computer.
But you are assuming that there is a clear distinction between the AI
and the encompassing VR. How is this accomplished?
Bruce
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