[ExI] The simplest possible conscious system

[Stefano Vaj]

On 7 February 2010 01:11, Spencer Campbell <lacertilian at gmail.com> wrote:
> Stefano Vaj <stefano.vaj at gmail.com>:
>> If "conscious" is taken to mean "exhibiting the same information
>> processing features of an average adult, healthy, alert, educated
>> human being" the theoretical answer for me corresponds to the question
>> "what is the simplest possible universal computer".
>
> Of course "conscious" is not taken to mean that here, nor anything
> like that, if only for the reasons pointed out by James Choate two or
> three days ago. Humans are ludicrously complex examples of
> consciousness (assuming they are conscious at all), and almost
> completely useless for finding an answer to the question.

No, this was not my point. What I meant is "if  conscious does not
mean to be entrusted  with a soul/operated by an organic brain/being
bipedal".

I have no doubt that consciousness which is the (one of the?) vague
concept(s) which we adopt to indicate human alertness can be exhibited
by *any* universal computer. That is, if reasonable performance is not
a requirement.

-- 
Stefano Vaj