Either consciousness is a mechanism that has been recruited by evolution for one of its abilities to efficiently integrate information, or consciousness is a type of epiphenomenon that serves no purpose.
Personally I think that consciousness, whatever it is, serves a purpose, and has an importance for the systems that try to sort out the anecdotal information from the information that deserves more extensive consideration. It is possible that this is the only way to effectively process information, and therefore that in trying to program an agi, one naturally comes across it
Consciousness definitely serves a purpose, from an evolutionary perspective. It’s definitely an adaptation to the environment, by offering a great advantage, a great leap, in information processing.
But from there to say that it is the only way to process information goes a long way. I mean, once again, just think of the pocket calculator. Is it conscious? I’m quite sure that it isn’t.
I think that consciousness is a very biological thing. The thing that makes me doubt the most about consciousness in non-biological systems (let alone in the current ones which are still very simple) is that they don’t need to sleep and they can function indefinitely. Consciousness seems to have these limits. Can you imagine not ever sleeping? Not ever dying? I don’t think such would be possible for any conscious being, at least one remotely similar to us.
to say that [consciousness] is the only way to process information
I don’t think anyone was claiming that. My post certainly doesn’t. If one thought consciousness were the only way to process information, wouldn’t there not even be an open question about which (if any) information-processing systems can be conscious?
Either consciousness is a mechanism that has been recruited by evolution for one of its abilities to efficiently integrate information, or consciousness is a type of epiphenomenon that serves no purpose.
Personally I think that consciousness, whatever it is, serves a purpose, and has an importance for the systems that try to sort out the anecdotal information from the information that deserves more extensive consideration. It is possible that this is the only way to effectively process information, and therefore that in trying to program an agi, one naturally comes across it
Consciousness definitely serves a purpose, from an evolutionary perspective. It’s definitely an adaptation to the environment, by offering a great advantage, a great leap, in information processing.
But from there to say that it is the only way to process information goes a long way. I mean, once again, just think of the pocket calculator. Is it conscious? I’m quite sure that it isn’t.
I think that consciousness is a very biological thing. The thing that makes me doubt the most about consciousness in non-biological systems (let alone in the current ones which are still very simple) is that they don’t need to sleep and they can function indefinitely. Consciousness seems to have these limits. Can you imagine not ever sleeping? Not ever dying? I don’t think such would be possible for any conscious being, at least one remotely similar to us.
I don’t think anyone was claiming that. My post certainly doesn’t. If one thought consciousness were the only way to process information, wouldn’t there not even be an open question about which (if any) information-processing systems can be conscious?
I never said you claimed such either, but Charbel did.
“It is possible that this [consciousness] is the only way to effectively process information”
I was replying to his reply to my comment, hence I mentioned it.