[ExI] Digital Consciousness .

[Gordon]

spike,


> Oh I do disagree sir.  If you go down far enough, you have a number of
> molecules that can be completely described by a set of numbers. 

The key word there is "described". Yes, we can describe just about anything digitally. But a digital description of a thing is not the thing unless that thing happens also to actually be digital. We can make identical copies of software files on our computers, for example, but we cannot make identical digital copies of things that are not digital.

> Of course I don't think we can sim a brain, even a flea brain, down 
> to the molecular level, but I don't think we would need to.

In principle, I think we can digitally sim a brain, even down to the molecular level. But at most I think it would result only in weak AI. Or, in the case off an attempted upload of a personality, I think it would result at most in a sort of unconscious cartoon of that personality. (Cartoon is probably not the best word here, but at the moment I can't think of a better one.) 

> Sure but we don't necessarily need consciousness I suppose.  What we 
> need is creativity.  

I thought we were discussing the possibility of digital consciousness!

I see there are quite a few interesting emails in this thread, including yours. I wish I had more time to address all of them in more detail.


-Gordon
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