From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!csd.unb.ca!morgan.ucs.mun.ca!nstn.ns.ca!aunro!alberta!ubc-cs!uw-beaver!news.u.washington.edu!usenet.coe.montana.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!caen!spool.mu.edu!olivea!uunet!mcs Thu Feb 20 15:21:55 EST 1992
Article 3844 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!csd.unb.ca!morgan.ucs.mun.ca!nstn.ns.ca!aunro!alberta!ubc-cs!uw-beaver!news.u.washington.edu!usenet.coe.montana.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!caen!spool.mu.edu!olivea!uunet!mcs
un!uknet!edcastle!aiai!jeff
>From: jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Virtual Person?
Message-ID: <6202@skye.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 18 Feb 92 22:26:13 GMT
References: <43302@dime.cs.umass.edu> <1992Feb16.185904.9343@psych.toronto.edu> <43391@dime.cs.umass.edu>
Sender: news@aiai.ed.ac.uk
Organization: AIAI, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
Lines: 30

In article <43391@dime.cs.umass.edu> orourke@sophia.smith.edu (Joseph O'Rourke) writes:

>Long long ago, I asked if Searle had responded to the idea of replacing
>neurons by functionally-equivalent silicon chips.  My point was that this
>can be used as an intuition pump for the implications of Searle's position:
>a functionally equivalent silicon brain does not "understand" etc.  David
>Chalmers responded, yes, and in fact the intuition pump can itself be pumped
>by imagining the silicon replacement neuron by neuron, which would
>imply by Searle's position, that qualia would either have to fade or
>switch off at some point, and either alternative is implausible.  Jeff Dalton
>asked what's so implausible with fading qualia/consciousness?  And I
>concurred:  David Chalmers pump of the pump does nothing for me.  If
>functionally-equivalent silicon neurons don't have the mental magic
>for some reason, one would expect the qualia to fade.

Or switch off.

Imagine what happens if the neurons are replaced by ones that don't
work (not even functionally equivalent).  What happens?  No one knows
for sure, but presumably at some point things to fade out, or else
there's a sudden cut off.

What it all comes down to is whether silicon neurons can replicate
all that's needed for continued functioning or not.  I don't think
anyone's claimed that artificial neurons that are functionally
correct would necessarily replicate all the physical properties
required, so there's certainly room for failure in a one-by-one
replacement.

-- jd


