From: Ben Goertzel (ben@goertzel.org)
Date: Mon Jan 12 2004 - 05:57:39 MST
Samantha Atkins wrote:
> On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 02:02:41 -0500
> "Yan King Yin" <y.k.y@lycos.com> wrote:
> >
> > I think David Chalmers and some other philosophers
> > have got it right already, it's called functionalism.
> > Basically any structure with information-processing
> > abilities will generate qualia, and the qualia is
> > *independent* of space-scale, time-scale, and
> > substrate. It could be neurons, silicon, it could be
> > intergalactic (if you can muster up so much energy),
> > it could execute only 1 instruction per a million year.
> >
I don't believe that, in every relevant sense, qualia are independent of
physical source of origin...
There is a sense in which all qualia are one, all qualia are equally intense
and energetic, etc.
Then there is a sense in which some qualia are more vivid and intense than
others ---- some of my qualia are more vivid and intense than others ...
and, I hypothesize, all of my qualia are much more vivid and intense than
those of a rock!
This notion of "qualia intensity" is foundational, and I wonder if it could
be used to ground a theory of complexity? This is something to think
about...
> So my PDA "generates qualia"? Is that the same as experiencing
> qualia or is it some other thing? This wonderful replacement
> for "ether" permeates all objects, organizations of matter/energy
> and all their known and most remotely possible interactions. I
> wonder exactly what good such a universally assumed something is.
>
> If rocks have qualia then it is to be assumed that the moral will
> need be responsible for keeping rocks maximally happy. <sigh>
Here the notion of qualia intensity is important, however.
I.e.: How many rocks' happiness does it take to give the same total qualia
intensity as one human's happiness? ;-)
[said tongue halfway in cheek -- I must re-emphasize that all these
discussions about qualia are still unsatisfyingly "slippery" to me ...
although I do consider this a fascinating direction for intellectual
exploration...]
;-)
-- Ben G
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