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From: departed@netcom.com (just passing through)
Subject: Re: Thought Question
Message-ID: <departedD3J3H3.GFA@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
References: <3ggpqr$k33@nntp.stanford.edu>
Date: Sun, 5 Feb 1995 13:15:03 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.alife:2220 comp.ai.philosophy:25221 comp.ai:27099

In article <3ggpqr$k33@nntp.stanford.edu>,
Adam Heath Clark <rubble@leland.stanford.edu> wrote:
>In article <3g42s1$jhl@agate.berkeley.edu>, 
><jerrybro@uclink2.berkeley.edu> says:
>>
>>jsand@mits.mdata.fi (Jan Sand) wrote:
>>
>>> I also find it hard to believe that people (and animals) close 
>>> to me are without consciousness, and I also think it is very
>>> unlikely. Nevertheless, as I have grown up I have had to 
>>> accept quite a few things that I have found hard to understand 
>>> and accept.
>>
>>What I'm trying to stress here is that we consider the question
>>of lies behind our certainty that we are ourselves conscious.
>>What is it about our insight into our own consciousness that
>>cannot be applied to the consciousness of others?
>>
>For me, it's an Ockham's Razor-type question.  Given a system with
>complex behavior and an apparent recognition of itself as a 
>conscious entity, I conclude that it is a conscious entity because
>any other explanation would be more complicated.
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>Adam Clark			"One of these days, I'm going to
>rubble@leland.stanford.edu	 cut you into little pieces..."
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>

Awareness is information being remapped onto a different space.  You
can see people receiving information and emitting an interestingly
altered signal, hence they are aware.

You can also see them receiving their own signals, and emitting a
remapped signal, hence they are self aware.

From the point of view of awareness happening, the knowledge of what
the structure is of the information space wherein the information is
remapped, is somewhat beside the point.  The mere fact of this alteration
occurring, is what awareness is.

-- Rich (departed@netcom.com)


