On 7/6/2021 3:55 AM, John Clark wrote:
On Sun, Jul 4, 2021 at 10:10 PM 'Brent Meeker' via Everything List
<[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>> It's easy to determine that the quantum computer is
intelligent butas for consciousness, how did you determine
that it was not conscious?For that matter how did you
determine that I am conscious? But let's get out of the
consciousness quagmire for a moment so I can ask you a
question, leaving behind the interpretation of the experiment
concentrating only on its results, if it was actually
performed as described do you think interference bands would
be on that photographic plate or would there be no such bands?
I would bet money the bands would be there on that plate even
though there's no longer any which way information remaining.
So, what would you put your money on, bands or no bands?
> /I would guess the interference bands would be present exactly
because, ex hypothesi, the which-way information was quantum erased.
/
So an intelligent and presumably consciousbeingonce existed that knew
which slot all the electrons went through, but those interference
bands still showed up anyway. Don't you find that a little strange? If
Many Worlds is wrong and that being didn't exist in another world,
then where did it exist?
It existed only in your hypothesis. I don't think a "being" can have
knowledge that can be quantum erased. Such a "being" would have to be
isolated from the environment and have a relatively small number of
degrees of freedom.
>> If interference bands are on that photographic plate
then either Many Worlds is correctora rock is just as likely
to be conscious as one of your fellow human beings because
intelligent behavior would tell you nothing about
consciousness. But if there are no bands I would immediately
concede and say Many Worlds must be wrong. What outcome would
make you concede?
/> Concede what? /
What experimental evidence would make you concede that your theory
that Many Worlds must be wrong, is wrong.
Who said it was wrong? It's an interpretation. I don't think it's
wrong, I think it's otiose.
Or is your theory by its very nature unprovable? My theory that Many
Worlds is less wrong than other quantum interpretations at least has
the virtue of being capable of being proven wrong. Let me put the
question to you this way, what conclusion would you draw if you saw
interference bands on that photographic plate,
That the hypothesized which-way information was successfully quantum erased.
and what conclusion would you draw if you DID NOT SEE interference
bands on that photographic plate?
That the hypothesized which-way information was not successfully quantum
erased.
/> You're the one that cast the hypothetical in terms of
consciousness./
I only said that because some (but not me) claim Quantum Mechanics has
something to do with consciousness, so if you want to test that claim
experimentally the first thing you're going to need is something
people can agree on that is conscious; and I don't think you're ever
going to find anything better for that "something" than a being that
behaves intelligently.
And you're never going to find a being that behaves intelligently based
on information that can be quantum erased.
Brent
John K Clark See what's on my new list at Extropolis
<https://groups.google.com/g/extropolis>
rroo
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