I think we can all agree on the thoughts about conflationary alliances. On consciousness, I don’t see a lot of value here apart from demonstrating the gulf in understanding between different people. The main problem I see, and this is common to most discussions of word definitions, is that only the extremes are considered. In this essay I see several comparisons of people to rocks, which is as extreme as you can get, and a few comparing people to animals, which is slightly less so, but nothing at all about the real fuzzy cases that we need to probe to decide what we really mean by consciousness i.e. comparing different human states: Are we conscious when we are asleep? Are we conscious when we are rendered unconscious? Are we conscious when we take drugs? Are we conscious when we play sports or drive cars? If we value consciousness so much, why do we train to become experts at such activities thereby reducing our level of consciousness? If consciousness is binary then how and why do we, as unconscious beings (sleeping or anaesthetised), switch to being conscious beings? If consciousness is a continuum then how can anyone reasonably rule conscious animals or AI or almost anything more complex than a rock? If we equate consciousness to moral value and ascribe moral value to that which we believe to be conscious. Why do we not call out the obvious circular reasoning? Is it logically possible to be both omniscient and conscious? (If you knew everything, there would be nothing to think about) Personally I define consciousness as System 2 reasoning and, as such, I think it is ridiculously overrated. In particular people always fail to notice that System 2 reasoning is just what we use to muddle through when our System 1 reasoning is inadequate. AI can reasonably be seen as far worse than us at System 2 reasoning but far better than us at System 1 reasoning. We overvalue System 2 so much precisely because it is the only thinking that we are “conscious” of.
I think we can all agree on the thoughts about conflationary alliances.
On consciousness, I don’t see a lot of value here apart from demonstrating the gulf in understanding between different people. The main problem I see, and this is common to most discussions of word definitions, is that only the extremes are considered. In this essay I see several comparisons of people to rocks, which is as extreme as you can get, and a few comparing people to animals, which is slightly less so, but nothing at all about the real fuzzy cases that we need to probe to decide what we really mean by consciousness i.e. comparing different human states:
Are we conscious when we are asleep?
Are we conscious when we are rendered unconscious?
Are we conscious when we take drugs?
Are we conscious when we play sports or drive cars? If we value consciousness so much, why do we train to become experts at such activities thereby reducing our level of consciousness?
If consciousness is binary then how and why do we, as unconscious beings (sleeping or anaesthetised), switch to being conscious beings?
If consciousness is a continuum then how can anyone reasonably rule conscious animals or AI or almost anything more complex than a rock?
If we equate consciousness to moral value and ascribe moral value to that which we believe to be conscious. Why do we not call out the obvious circular reasoning?
Is it logically possible to be both omniscient and conscious? (If you knew everything, there would be nothing to think about)
Personally I define consciousness as System 2 reasoning and, as such, I think it is ridiculously overrated. In particular people always fail to notice that System 2 reasoning is just what we use to muddle through when our System 1 reasoning is inadequate.
AI can reasonably be seen as far worse than us at System 2 reasoning but far better than us at System 1 reasoning. We overvalue System 2 so much precisely because it is the only thinking that we are “conscious” of.