[ExI] A new theory of consciousness: conditionalism

[BillK]

On Fri, 25 Aug 2023 at 20:41, Jason Resch via extropy-chat
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> Thanks Bill. What are some examples of behaviors that don't require conditionals, and are they behaviors associated with either intelligence or consciousness?
>
> Jason
>-------------------------------------------

One mentioned the complex behaviors of hive insects, or non-human
species, but I can't find that reference now.

This quote seems relevant:
One potential criticism is that the statement oversimplifies the
nature of intelligence and consciousness. Intelligence and
consciousness are complex phenomena that encompass a wide range of
cognitive processes, including perception, memory, reasoning,
problem-solving, and decision-making. While conditionals are
undoubtedly important for guiding behavior, they do not represent the
entirety of intelligent consciousness. Other factors such as emotions,
values, beliefs, and social influences also contribute to shaping
human behavior.

Furthermore, the statement implies that conditionals are a necessary
requirement for responsiveness and adaptive behavior. While
conditionals certainly facilitate adaptive responses to changing
environments, it is possible to conceive of alternative mechanisms for
achieving responsiveness. For example, some forms of artificial
intelligence (AI) systems employ reinforcement learning algorithms
that do not explicitly rely on conditionals but still exhibit adaptive
behavior.

Another criticism relates to the assumption that biological necessity
drives the evolution and application of conditionals in guiding
behavior. While it is true that organisms have evolved various
mechanisms to adapt to their environments, it is not necessarily the
case that conditionals are the only or most efficient way to achieve
this. Evolutionary processes are contingent and can lead to different
solutions for similar problems. Therefore, it is possible that
alternative mechanisms could have emerged in different evolutionary
lineages.

Additionally, it is worth considering the potential limitations and
challenges associated with conditionals. Conditionals introduce
complexity into decision-making processes and can lead to increased
computational demands. In situations where there are numerous
conditional rules or conflicting conditions, decision-making can
become challenging and time-consuming. Moreover, conditionals may also
introduce biases or limitations in decision-making if they are based
on incomplete or inaccurate information.
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BillK