[extropy-chat] Qualia Bet.

[John K Clark]

"Brent Allsop" <allsop at extropy.org>

> But we can also program "zombie" machines
> to do the same thing.

I'm curious, what makes you so certain that these machines are zombies? I
have my own reasons for thinking so, they don't act like they are conscious,
but you think that reason is "stupid".

> Motivation is another thing that is very difficult (though not impossible)
> to program

Motivation is easy, it's easy to make a computer want to do something and
we've been doing it since the old vacuum tube ENIAC days. The trick if
to figure out what the computer should want to do.

> why wouldn't evolution discover and utilize these powerful tools to make
> us more intelligent and motivated - and hence more survivable?

It would. If qualia effected our behavior and made us more survivable as you
said then I can't think of any reason in the world Evolution wouldn't come
up with it; and for exactly precisely the same reason I can't think of any
reason in the world why the Turing Test won't work and is "stupid".

    John K Clark