From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!rpi!batcomputer!munnari.oz.au!bruce.cs.monash.edu.au!monu6!giaeb!tim Sat Oct 24 20:44:44 EDT 1992
Article 7363 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: tim@giaeb.cc.monash.edu.au (Tim Roberts)
Subject: Re: Brain and Mind (consciousness is not provable).
Message-ID: <tim.719734846@giaeb>
Sender: news@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au (Usenet system)
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
References: <1992Oct20.154218.578@cine88.cineca.it>
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1992 06:20:46 GMT
Lines: 45

avl0@cine88.cineca.it writes:

>> Message-ID: <1992Oct14.221625.28631@meteor.wisc.edu>
>> From: tobis@meteor.wisc.edu (Michael Tobis)
>>
>> >Really, the issue at hand is how to recognize non-human consciousness.
>> >It is no different in principle in the case of space aliens than it is with
>> >computers.
>>Agreed.
>> >In neither case do we have access to thier subjective experience, so we must
>> >rely on external data to determine its presence.
>> >So, what *evidence* would you require to accept a being from another planet
>> >was conscious?  How would you distinguish a 'real' aliem from a perfect
>> >'android' type robot?
>>I dunno. Beats the hell out of me. Hopefully they would not try to immigrate
>>to our turf and we could avoid the issue.

>Yes, making questions about aliens is like to ask Columbus about indians before
>1492 or Galileo about quantum mechanics. It is meaningless. Come back to the
>reality and to real facts, please.
>I'll be happy when aliens will came, then we will restart the discussion.

It could be a little bit late then, methinks.  Unless you're intending to kill
anything that moves, open up its brain, and look for boojums.

Why is so much discussion centred around whether something (computer, robot,
alien) "has" consciousness ?  This implies something either has consciousness
or not, and there is no intermediate state.  This is against almost all
biological principles (and other principles too, for that matter - would you
contend that a chair had 100% "chair-ness" all the time ?).

If you really think consciousness is an all-or-nothing affair, you should see
me in the mornings.

Tim


-- 
Tim S Roberts
School of Applied Science                 tel:     051-226467
Monash University (Gippsland)             fax:     051-221348
Switchback Road
Churchill                                 email:   tim@giaeb.cc.monash.edu.au
Victoria 3842
Australia


