[ExI] Functionalism and Lakoff

[Eugen Leitl]

On Wed, Feb 08, 2012 at 09:27:44PM -0500, Mike Dougherty wrote:

> Do the proponents of neural computation discount testosterone or
> adrenaline as body chemicals?  Their impact on the brain is pretty

Why would you deliberately build a bad model, and then expect it work?

> profound - but is that because the body is the sensorimotor apparatus
> that the brain uses to interact with the world?  If so, then wouldn't
> neurons-only be artificial in the same way that computer programs
> doing exactly as they are programmed to do is considered artificial
> intelligence or behavior?  I'm thinking of the rat brain robots;
> they're neurons but without biological bodies.

Anything practical has to be embodied. Isolated neuron cultures
are at mercy of researchers, and will go into the biowaste bin once their
work is done. Useless things don't stick around in the real world.
 
> I think making this distinction between brain and body will be
> continuously redefined.  It won't scale well as people end up sharing
> telepresence devices, projecting their concept of the self into new
> containers or conversely as "my" identity is running concurrently on

It's an illusion, albeit a useful one. Detachable sensoriums which
can be relocated at relativistic speed do have their uses.

> multiple machines with multiple perspectives.  This doesn't even need
> far-future technology to envision - several ustreams coming together
> form a sense of security around my stuff.  To the extent that I am
> able to reach into those spaces either by awareness (read only) or by
> robotic manipulators, I could claim to be present.  Are these
> assistive technologies my body?  How far apart does one's prosthetic

Tools are being incorporated into your internal body maps, so in
a sense they're part of you. On the other hand, they're like crutches.
Your avatar is left slackjawed and with virtual drool as you have
your massive coronary in the ergonomic chair in front of your
battlestation.

> need to be before it is no longer considered part of the local body
> and becomes part of the extended body?
> 
> Good topic Natasha, thanks  :)

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