What does "self model" even mean ? Notice that any material attempt to implement "self model" leads to infinite regress. Because let's say that a machine has the parts A B C. To have a "self model" would mean to have another part (A B C) which would contain the "self model". But this would be an extra part of the "self" which would be needed to be included in the "self model" in order to actually have a "self model", so you would need another part (A B C (A B C)). But then again you would need to include this part as well in the "self model". So you will get to infinite regress. Therefore, you need a special kind of entity to obtained the desired effect without getting into infinite regress. And that's precisely why the self-reference that I'm talking about in the book is unformalizable. And as you say, being unformalizable, allows for bootstrapping consciousness into existence. You cannot simulate self-reference just by playing around with atoms. Self-reference just is. It just is the source of the entire existence. Is not up to anyone to simulate the source of existence. You can never obtain the properties of consciousness (meaning, purpose, free will, memory, intelligence, learning, acting, etc.) just by playing around with a bunch of atoms. All these properties of consciousness are having their source in the unformalizable self-reference.
On Thursday, 18 April 2019 04:00:31 UTC+3, Russell Standish wrote: > > each consciousness bootstraps its own > meaning from self-reference. Unless the mars rover has a self model in > its code (and I don't think it was constructed that way), then I would > extremely doubt it has any sort of consciousness. > -- 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 everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
