Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > Russell Standish writes: > > > On Sat, Aug 26, 2006 at 10:01:36PM +1000, Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > > > Are you suggesting that of two very similar programs, one containing a > > > true random > > > number generator and the other a pseudorandom number generator, only the > > > former > > > could possibly be conscious? I suppose it is possible, but I see no > > > reason to believe > > > that it is true. > > > > > > Stathis Papaioannou > > > > I think this is what Maudlin's argument tells us. Is it that so > > preposterous to you? > > It seems to me that the idea of a deterministic machine being conscious is > assumed to be > preposterous, for no good reason.
An *obviously* determinstic machine would not pass a Turing test. > I believe that I could have acted differently even with > identical environmental inputs, which is what the feeling of "free will" is. > However, it is > possible that I might *not* have been able to act differently: simply feeling > that I could > have done so is not evidence that it is the case. Pointing that out is not evidence against. > And even if it were the case, due to true > quantum randomness or the proliferation of branches in the multiverse leading > to the effect > of first person indeterminacy, it does not follow that this is necessary for > consciousness to > occur. > > > I thought I had another argument based on creativity, but it seems > > pseduo RNG programs can be creative, provided the RNG is cryptic enough. > > Right, it's the complexity of the program that generates interesting and > perhaps intelligent > behaviour, not its randomness. > > Stathis Papaioannou > _________________________________________________________________ > Be one of the first to try Windows Live Mail. > http://ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx?versionId=5d21c51a-b161-4314-9b0e-4911fb2b2e6d --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
