<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eugen,</div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"><div style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"><div class="y_msg_container" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">> You might be not a troll, but you're definitely a vitalist.<br><br></div><div class="y_msg_container" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">No sir, I believe life is only a material process. I believe thoughts are also only material. I reject the vitalist notion of some metaphysical soul or spirit or energy or "elan vital".
Philosophically speaking, I reject both property and substance dualism.</div><div class="y_msg_container" style="font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br></div><div class="y_msg_container"><font size="3">I think neuroscience will one day identify the biological processes that give rise to consciousness. Our goal then, if we want to create strong AI, will be to transplant or </font>synthesize those biological processes. I don't think this will be possible on digital computers--we won't be able to synthesize those biological processes by running software over hardware--but I think it will be possible.</div><div class="y_msg_container"><br></div><div class="y_msg_container">-Gordon</div> </div> </div> </div></body></html>