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Article 3364 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: chalmers@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (David Chalmers)
Subject: Re: Strong AI and panpsychism (was Re: Virtual Person?)
Message-ID: <1992Feb1.212751.5911@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu>
Organization: Indiana University
References: <1992Jan29.164812.2514@psych.toronto.edu> <1992Jan29.193358.19320@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> <1992Jan30.170517.29673@psych.toronto.edu>
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 92 21:27:51 GMT
Lines: 32

In article <1992Jan30.170517.29673@psych.toronto.edu> michael@psych.toronto.edu (Michael Gemar) writes:

>>Insofar as there are information-processing systems within rocks, then
>>those systems have (very limited) qualia.  I wouldn't put the point
>>by saying that rocks have qualia, as rocks (unlike thermostats) are not
>>individuated as information-processing systems.
>
>What determines individuation?  These has the distinct odor of an ad hoc
>distinction to me.  
>
>I think that the answer to this question is important, because (as you no
>doubt can see), if a rock is an information-processing system in this
>sense, then so is any part of the rock.  Then the problem becomes determining
>*what* is having the qualia.

I ascribe qualia to information-processing systems, not to lumps of
matter.  A given lump of matter can easily have lots of distinct systems
within it, and conceivably, lots of corresponding consciousnesses.
Although human minds usually correspond to distinct lumps of matter, it's
apparent that we don't have to individuate minds that way, as witnessed
e.g. by the fact that it's coherent to talk about two minds in one
body.  On the other hand, we certainly individuate rocks as lumps of
matter.  Therefore I ascribe qualia to systems within the rock
(insofar as they process information), and not to the rock itself.

(Compare: my office has a conscious system within it (i.e. me), but
my office isn't conscious.)

-- 
Dave Chalmers                            (dave@cogsci.indiana.edu)      
Center for Research on Concepts and Cognition, Indiana University.
"It is not the least charm of a theory that it is refutable."


