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Article 7456 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Simulated Brain
Message-ID: <LyqFTB1w165w@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz>
>From: system@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz (Wayne McDougall)
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 92 14:19:08 NZST
References: <1992Oct19.133435.18702@klaava.Helsinki.FI>
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amnell@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Marko Amnell) writes:

> In article <g87wsB1w165w@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz> system@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.n
> (Wayne McDougall) writes:
> 
> >Hmmm, excuse me for coming in late, but in what way are we "conscious"?
> >That is, to what are you referring that is above and beyond thinking?
> >I think I am asking for a definition of "conscious" as it may be being 
> >shared by participants in this discussion (or may not be).
> 
> I don't know how many participants in the discussion would agree with
> me, but any workable definition of consciousness would have to go beyond
> mere cognition -- the capacity for thought, something like purposeful
> use of information to achieve results (to just give a sketch) -- and
> include sensory awareness of one's environment, self-awareness of
> oneself as a thinking being, a history of interaction with similar
> beings (something repeatedly stressed by Davidson in his criticism of
> the Turing Test) and hence membership in a community of thinkers.
> All this is not meant to be a real definition, but just something to
> start the ball rolling, if anyone would care to push it further.

IMO, none of the characteristics that you listed seem particularly 
unachievable, or in relation to this newsgroup, seem to correlate with 
the "higher level" on which some writers seem to place "consciousness" 
vis a vis "intelligence".

-- 
  Wayne McDougall, BCNU
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