[ExI] Do digital computers feel?

John Clark johnkclark at gmail.com
Thu Dec 22 19:12:23 UTC 2016


On Wed, Dec 21, 2016 at 6:52 PM, William Flynn Wallace <foozler83 at gmail.com>
wrote:

​> ​
> consciousness might reside in the actual brain substance.
>

​I'll believe that when you show me that when
 vacuum ​tube computers add two numbers they get a different result than
when solid state computers add the same two numbers.

​> ​
> Where else could it be?
>

​Information of course.


> ​> ​
> It may be possible for a computer to feel things the way we do, but we
> will never know.
>

​True, but computers are not unique in that. ​It may be possible for you to
feel things the way I do, but I will never know for sure.


> I would like to reiterate an earlier post and remind everyone that neurons
> are not the only things in our heads:  we have several kinds of glia
>

​Irrelevant, if gilia or hormones or anything else processes information
than a digital computer can too, just as it can for neurons. ​


​> ​
> Before John says it: you don't know whether any other humans really feel,
> you just deduce it from their behaviour.
>

​But you couldn't deduce anything unless you've already taken it as a axiom
that intelligent behavior implies consciousness. All I'm asking is you play
by the same rules when dealing with computers.

​
> ​> ​
> I am a physical monist and don't like metaphysics. [...]   I am an
> empiricist to the bone!


​Good. There is not one bit of experimental evidence that the carbon atoms
in your body are different from the carbon atoms in my body or in a lump of
coal or the atoms in a computer, therefore the only difference between you
me a computer and a lump of coal must be information on how those atoms are
arranged. The only alternative to that conclusion is a religious type soul,
but you said you don't like metaphysics. Information is as close as you can
get to a soul and still remain within the scientific method.   ​


​ John K Clark​
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