[extropy-chat] Fragmentation of computations

[Eugen Leitl]

On Tue, Mar 27, 2007 at 09:32:50PM +1000, Stathis Papaioannou wrote:

>    The decoding device allows an external observer to communicate with
>    Rock Man. But what test of consciousness do you use in the case of
>    inputless machines, dreaming away on their own? For example, if you

How this is different from our physical reality? You can make measurements
on reality. You can make measurements on the computer.

>    found an alien computer which was a self-contained inputless AI, but
>    its designers and design specifications were all long vanished, would
>    it be any less conscious because you couldn't talk to it? If it had

How would you know it's a self-contained inputless AI and not
just a room heater?

>    I/O devices no matter how obscure its design with assiduous testing

Computers build in this physical reality can't be obscure, if they
want to be efficient.

>    you could eventually determine what it was up to, but you would have
>    no chance without this.

So you would put a logic analyzer to work on a rock?

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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