Meditation: And this creates another kind of problem. Did the person come into existence:
Nobody knows. That is the real problem of qualia: on the one hand, we have subjective experience; on the other, everything else we know leaves no room for any such thing to exist. “But it exists! But it can’t! But it exists! But it can’t!” All proposed solutions amount to chopping off one hand or the other, and all refutations to those solutions consist of pointing out that the hand is still there.
Curiously, none of this prevents people from seriously talking about interactive animatronic puppets as if they had emotions.
Curiously, none of this prevents people from seriously talking about interactive animatronic puppets as if they had emotions.
For now!
It will be interesting to see the cultural confusion when ‘simulations’ are as complex and deep as the real deal. I wonder if robots will look at me with (simulated?) disgust when I joke about circuit bending my friend’s little sister’s furby? Will I simulate shame?
Nobody knows. That is the real problem of qualia: on the one hand, we have subjective experience; on the other, everything else we know leaves no room for any such thing to exist. “But it exists! But it can’t! But it exists! But it can’t!” All proposed solutions amount to chopping off one hand or the other, and all refutations to those solutions consist of pointing out that the hand is still there.
Curiously, none of this prevents people from seriously talking about interactive animatronic puppets as if they had emotions.
For now!
It will be interesting to see the cultural confusion when ‘simulations’ are as complex and deep as the real deal. I wonder if robots will look at me with (simulated?) disgust when I joke about circuit bending my friend’s little sister’s furby? Will I simulate shame?