(b) Consciousness is something that a concrete machine does, as in “My calculator computed 2+2”.
Instructed to skip.
Unpack what “the machine computed 2+2” means. (I’ll try.) A machine computes 2+2 if it has an algorithm (perhaps a subroutine) that accepts two inputs a and b (where a and b are some set of numbers containing at least the natural numbers through 5) and generally (almost always) outputs the sum a+b. The machine may output a+b by any means whatsoever—even just using a look up table or appending two strings of symbols. (In contrast, an algorithm that always outputs ‘4’ does not compute 2+2.)
Unpack what ‘computing red’ means. At the first level, computing red means identifying that a set of wavelengths are within a certain range. At the subjective, qualia level, computing red means identifying the range of wavelengths “red” with a network of information about that range (possibly including past experience with that range). The experience of the quale is observing the association of the range of wavelengths with the network of related associations; it is the observation that “red” is passed through a node and redirected to a set of other nodes. (This is why consciousness is required to experience qualia.) I observe that I have a little bit of control over what associations red is passed to (different subsets of the network of associations) and asking myself ‘what does red feel like?’ or ‘what is red?’ is an exercise in lingering around this locus of control; associating, pulling back, reassociating, etc. When I actually look at something red, the shape and texture dominate my associations so I don’t think ‘red’ is a very strong quale for me, or not a very good way to divide up my experience of it.
At this level of questioning, I’m not sure what ‘feel’ means. Feelings about mental processes depend upon associations with physical feelings, including immediate or remembered physical sensations that the brain produces while thinking, whatever those are. So if I’m on drugs, thinking should feel different … is this functional or algorithmic?
Don’t think so..
No, I don’t imagine qualia are an essential ingredient of consciousness.
I agree with RobinZ, consciousness requires self-reflective behavior—which I see as an algorithm modeling itself to some unspecified extent, though not necessarily containing any component of self-awareness.
I just remembered that I wrote up my thoughts about consciousness is this post titled Hypotheses for Dualism. There are likely to be some comments relevant to this discussion there.
(b) Consciousness is something that a concrete machine does, as in “My calculator computed 2+2”.
Instructed to skip.
Unpack what “the machine computed 2+2” means. (I’ll try.) A machine computes 2+2 if it has an algorithm (perhaps a subroutine) that accepts two inputs a and b (where a and b are some set of numbers containing at least the natural numbers through 5) and generally (almost always) outputs the sum a+b. The machine may output a+b by any means whatsoever—even just using a look up table or appending two strings of symbols. (In contrast, an algorithm that always outputs ‘4’ does not compute 2+2.)
Unpack what ‘computing red’ means. At the first level, computing red means identifying that a set of wavelengths are within a certain range. At the subjective, qualia level, computing red means identifying the range of wavelengths “red” with a network of information about that range (possibly including past experience with that range). The experience of the quale is observing the association of the range of wavelengths with the network of related associations; it is the observation that “red” is passed through a node and redirected to a set of other nodes. (This is why consciousness is required to experience qualia.) I observe that I have a little bit of control over what associations red is passed to (different subsets of the network of associations) and asking myself ‘what does red feel like?’ or ‘what is red?’ is an exercise in lingering around this locus of control; associating, pulling back, reassociating, etc. When I actually look at something red, the shape and texture dominate my associations so I don’t think ‘red’ is a very strong quale for me, or not a very good way to divide up my experience of it.
At this level of questioning, I’m not sure what ‘feel’ means. Feelings about mental processes depend upon associations with physical feelings, including immediate or remembered physical sensations that the brain produces while thinking, whatever those are. So if I’m on drugs, thinking should feel different … is this functional or algorithmic?
Don’t think so..
No, I don’t imagine qualia are an essential ingredient of consciousness.
I agree with RobinZ, consciousness requires self-reflective behavior—which I see as an algorithm modeling itself to some unspecified extent, though not necessarily containing any component of self-awareness.
I just remembered that I wrote up my thoughts about consciousness is this post titled Hypotheses for Dualism. There are likely to be some comments relevant to this discussion there.