[ExI] Do digital computers feel?

[John Clark]

On Wed, Feb 15, 2017 at 5:58 PM, Brent Allsop <brent.allsop at gmail.com>
wrote:

> ​> ​
> The single binding neuron, like glutamate, is just a simplified
> theoretical (i.e. testable) theory that will surely can be easily proven
> wrong.
>
> ​How? Explain how a theory that glutamate produces a subjective state at
all in somebody other than me can ever be proven or disproven; let alone
that it is identical to a specific qualia like mine, such as greenness.  ​


> ​> ​
> It simply represents a required functional part of consciousness,
>
> ​If it's not a functional ​part of consciousness then it's not a part of
consciousness, and if it is not a part of intelligent behavior then
Evolution could not have produced it. And yet I have that part because I am
unquestionably conscious, and perhaps you are too. Therefore you must
either conclude that consciousness is a byproduct of intelligent behavior
or explain how this consciousness producing but not intelligent behaving
part came into existence, because I know for fact it did at least once and
probably did so trillions of times.

> ​> ​
> When people do a traditional neural substitution, they end up removing
> this required critical functionality, causing all the hard problems.
>
> ​If at the end of the day the neuron ​ends up functioning identically in
the way it treats other neurons then what on earth was so "critical" about
the "functionality" that was removed?

​What function did it have and why should other neurons or anybody else
miss it?​  And I still want to know why you remain the same person you were
last year even though all the atoms in your neurons have been substituted.

> ​> ​
> everyone will know, via subjective and objective observation what is going
> on at every step of the neuro substitution.
>

​The only subjective observation I have ever done or ​will ever do is on
myself, and if you are conscious then the
only subjective observation
​you ​
have ever done or ​will
​ever​
 do is on
​yourself; if you are not conscious then you have never even done that, you
have never observed subjectivity in anything.​ Other than your word I have
no evidence that you are conscious even if I somehow knew you were not
trying to deceive me. Maybe you sincerely believe you are conscious but
what you think of as "consciousness" has little relationship to the grand
and glorious consciousness of John K Clark. Or maybe it's the other way
around, your consciousness is like a supernova while mine is like a pale
firefly. Maybe maybe maybe.... nobody knows and nobody will ever know so
let's move on to something that, with a lot of effort, we actually can
know, like how intelligent behavior works.

 John K Clark
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