[ExI] Digital Consciousness

[Brent Allsop]

On Mon, May 6, 2013 at 11:37 AM, John Clark <johnkclark at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, May 6, 2013 Gordon <gts_2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Are qualia inputs? Or are they outputs?
>>
>
> They are neither and that is exactly why we can only infer and not observe
> the existence of qualia in other people or in other computers.
>
>
>

A better way to think about things, than thinking of things as "inputs or
outputs" is whether you have to interpret, whatever is representing or
communicating (input or output) the information.

We say we experience 'red', but of course, that is an abstract symbol that
must be interpreted.  We detect 650 NM light reflecting off of the
strawberry, and we "interpret" that by representing it with something that
has a redness quality to it.

Regardless of whether this redness quality is an input or an output, it can
be interpreted as a ripe strawberry, it can be interpreted as the word
'red' and so on.  However, a redness quality itself, is something that can
represent other things, like the word 'red', but the quality itself, is
just it, no interpretation required.  Other qualities can be like it, other
qualities, like greenness can be different, so you can compare things to
it, but any interpretation of a redness quality, get's you something other
than what it really qualitatively is.

And Clark claimed: "we can only infer and not observe the existence of
quala".  the currently leading consensus theories at Canonizer.com are
predicting this is a soon to be falsified claim.  In other words, John, you
forgot the "YET".  There are various 'strong' and "week" ways you can know
if another intelligence is having the same elemental redness quality of an
experience you are having, just as reliably as you know that redness in
your right hemesphere is absolutely qualitatively different than greenness
in your left. (see: http://canonizer.com/topic.asp/88/28 ).


Brent Allsop
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