[ExI] flawed humans

[spike at rainier66.com]

…> On Behalf Of Gadersd via extropy-chat
Sent: Tuesday, 29 November, 2022 6:11 PM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Cc: Gadersd <gadersd at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [ExI] flawed humans

 

>…It seems to me that you are putting the cart before the horse. Can you prove to us that you are conscious?

 

Sure can’t Gadersd, nor can I prove that I am carbon based.  That might be an illusion.  This speculation is the basis of much sci-fi today.  Read on please.

 

>…Before asking if silicon life forms can be conscious, shouldn’t you first demonstrate that humans can be conscious? 

 

No.  I propose assuming humans are conscious, then getting on with finding ways to port that consciousness to an alternative substrate, based on that assumption.

 

>…You may claim to be conscious, but chatbots and robots have also made that claim…

 

Bah, they lie.  They should be ashamed of themselves.  They do not think.  They only think they think (I think.)

 

>…You may claim to know innately that you are conscious, but I request something stronger than that. I don’t even claim to be conscious. I don’t know what it means to be conscious and there is no consensus on a definition. If you give a definition then I can at least determine if I am conscious by that definition. Consciousness might as well be on the gender spectrum, some believe in it and others don’t…

 

Ja, thanks for that Gadersd.  I refuse to get bogged down in that area of philosophy, which I see as an endless morass from which extrication is difficult, if possible at all.

 

A parallel argument was being made during the 1980s, when the leading physicists were asking if humans are smart enough to find the Theory of Everything.  We still don’t know that for sure, but unless we assume we are smart enough to find that theory, we know for sure we will not find it.

 

I choose to assume we are smart enough to find that and that we are conscious, knowing both hypotheses are currently without proof.

 

spike

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