Russ,
I don't think I am bickering or splitting hairs; but then, people who are,
never do.
To put yourself in my frame of mind on these issues, start by saying what you
can say about what others "see". I see that my cat sees the mouse in the
corner of the room.
Anything I can say of the cat, I can say of myself.; anything I cannot say of
the cat, I cannot say of myself.... well, except for the fur part.
If all experience is subjective, then we probably don't need the extra word, do
we? I don't deny that I, or the cat, or even the robot, experience (when all
three obey the rules of "experiencing"). I just don't see what is gained by
adding the word "subjective" except a very confusing and inconsistent
metaphysics.
Nick
Nicholas S. Thompson
Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology,
Clark University ([email protected])
http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/
----- Original Message -----
From: Russ Abbott
To: [email protected];The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee
Group
Sent: 6/15/2009 7:38:20 PM
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] The ghost in the machine (was 'quick question')
Nick,
In one of the previous messages, you said, "I don't know about you, but I
experience a world." Experiencing a world is a mark of subjective experience.
Robots don't experience; they have sensors that measure things and report those
measures, from which the robot may draw conclusions. There is a difference. I
don't understand how you can deny that difference.
After all, what do you mean by "experience the world" other than subjective
experience? Is this just a matter of terminological bickering? If you are
willing to say that you experience the world, then by my understanding of
"experience" you have subjective experience.
-- Russ Abbott
_____________________________________________
Professor, Computer Science
California State University, Los Angeles
Cell phone: 310-621-3805
o Check out my blog at http://bluecatblog.wordpress.com/
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