On 7/11/2024 5:01 AM, John Clark wrote:
On Wed, Jul 10, 2024 at 11:53 PM Brent Meeker <[email protected]>
wrote:
>> "My dictionary says the definition of "*prerequisite*" is "*a
thing that is required as a prior condition for something else
to happen or exist*". And it says the definition of "*cause*"
is "*a person or thing that gives rise to an action,
phenomenon, or condition*". So cause and prerequisite are
synonyms."
/> A more careful reading of the definitions would tell you that a
prerequisite doesn't does not give rise to an action; but it's
absence precludes the action./
OK. But if it's a brute fact that consciousness is the way data feels
when it is being processed,
I disagree; and elsewhere you have agreed that many data processing
machines are not conscious because they take no actions based on the
data being true. Data has to be processed in ways leading to
intelligent action or decisions.
and if intelligent action requires data processing, then if by some
magic (it has to be magic because neither science nor mathematics can
help you with this) you knew that system X was not conscious, then you
could correctly predict that its actions would not be intelligent.
Consciousness is a high-level description of the state of a system,
that's why when I asked somebody "/why did you do that?/" sometimes
"because I wanted to" is an adequate explanation. But sometimes I want
a lower level more detailed explanation such as "/I frowned when I
took a bite of that food because it was much too salty/". A
neurophysiologist might want an even more detailed explanation
involving neurons and synapses. None of these explanations are wrong
and all of them are consistent with each other. It would be correct to
say that the reason a balloon gets bigger when I blow into it is
because the pressure inside the balloon increases, but it would also
be correct to say that the reason a balloon gets bigger when I blow
into it is because there are more air molecules inside the balloon
randomly hitting the inner surface.
Yes, I agree that explanations in terms of consciousness and
explanations in terms of rationale may just be differences in level of
description. But perhaps I have a more expansive idea of consciousness
than you do. I think of the paramecium that swims to the left because
the water is to salty on the right as being conscious.
Brent
John K Clark See what's on my new list at Extropolis
<https://groups.google.com/g/extropolis>m
isb
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