[extropy-chat] Fragmentation of computations

[Jef Allbright]

Eavesdropping on the Copernican School of Consciousness:

"...a stream of consciousness survives fragmentation of the process..."

[What is this stream of consciousness that can be conceived
independently of the process?]

"...consciousness supervenes on the instantaneous computational state..."

[ditto...]

"...you can take the snapshots and run the computation a second time
out of sequence, e.g. running the first minute last and the last
minute first. Would the inhabitants of the simulation notice that
something unusual had happened?"

[From what point of view would one observe this?  This seems like
those science fiction stories where "time is warped", and the more
sensitive individuals say "did you feel that?"]

"Suppose for a moment that I am right about states having to be
causally connected in order for there to be information flow, and
in order for there to be an internal experiencer."

[I understand describing a system having experience, but having "an
internal experiencer"?]

I enjoy precise thought and there's a good amount of that going on
here, but some of it is precise in the way of Copernicus describing
the apparent motion of celestial bodies.  Elaborate epicycles
constructed to preserve the assumption of a privileged reference
point.

It's not about whether or not qualia exist, but about whether the
concept adds anything of value.

- Jef