19
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
If, and it's a big if, it could be proved that the probability of the emergence of life through natural causes was exceedingly close to zero, then you could still assume life emerged by chance. Before ...
- 26.4k
15
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
[This is a complete rewrite of my answer.]
If I understand you're question, you're presuming that we somehow determine that the chance of all the conditions necessary to result in intelligent life is ...
- 2,589
11
votes
Could general-AI language generation be a test for sentience, sapience, or consciousness?
If several independent general AI were to, unprompted, develop their own language ab initio (or perhaps from other languages,) could this serve as a test for sentience, sapience, or general ...
- 35.6k
9
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
It's perfect valid to say that something being near-impossible doesn't say much about other possibilities, unless you have some independent insight into how likely those possibilities are.
Of course, ...
- 13.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Is there an essential distinction between experienced and observed consciousness?
The first and third-person characterizations of experience are synonyms for the mind-body duality. The mind and introspection are private and inaccessible to others, while the body is public and ...
- 35.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Could general-AI language generation be a test for sentience, sapience, or consciousness?
"there is some debate about whether or not current LLMs are intelligent or sentient"
There is debate about what it even means to be intelligent or sentient.
For a long time we've taken it ...
- 13.8k
5
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
It is generally a bad idea to invoke an infinity of other universes to explain away an otherwise reasonable inference about OUR universe. It is far simpler, and much more testable/refutable, if one ...
- 17.4k
5
votes
Would a sentient program have an afterlife when it has been deleted?
What is your point: Simulation, sensibility, God, moral? That’s not clear from your post.
Anyhow, IMO we humans are sentient programs: Adaption to our
ecological niche during biological evolution has ...
- 42.4k
4
votes
Can a Philosophical Zombie realize that itself has no Qualia?
Why are we discussing qualia right now?
If we discuss qualia because we experience it, a philosophical zombie would not. They would thus be distinguishable from conscious people. (Under this ...
- 2,244
4
votes
Is there an essential distinction between experienced and observed consciousness?
You present your post in a setting with a strong bias.
But the distinction between the two ways of accessing internal experiences – first-person stance and third person stance – is not a dogma from ...
- 42.4k
4
votes
Is there an essential distinction between experienced and observed consciousness?
The distinction between first person and third person accounts is evidently flawed because every account has an author, an "accountant". There is no such thing as a view from nowhere. All &...
- 3,294
3
votes
Accepted
The Leibniz - Turing Dilemma
The comment you appended to the excellent answer by Paul Ross shows that you are missing an important point. You can make almost any pair of objects indistinguishable by imposing constraints on one's ...
- 26.4k
3
votes
Could general-AI language generation be a test for sentience, sapience, or consciousness?
The Turing Test is a thought experiment from a particular philosophical point of view, and designed to support a particular philosophical claim. Its philosophical grounding is strict Empiricism in a ...
- 30.7k
3
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
I agree with you that there are two different questions about an event:
Question 1 (Yes-No?): Did the event happen or not?
Question 2 (How?): If the event happened, how did it happen?
Solving the ...
- 42.4k
3
votes
If you know something has the potential to be sentient is it unethical to intentionally prevent it from gaining sentience?
Unlike many things, personhood is binary. Is it torture to grate a carrot that you pulled from your garden moments ago?
Provided the science fictioney premise that things you make could attain ...
- 4,177
3
votes
How are the actions of conscious beings interpreted in terms of cause and effect?
I think user3776022 has the right of it---in the conflict between physicalists and dualists there is no winner. But that's just because both physicalism and dualism provide faulty pictures of the ...
- 2,002
3
votes
Should the debate about the ethics of meat consumption focus around sentience and the ability to suffer?
In this scenario, consuming plants would be incompatible with the principle of trying to avoid unnecessary suffering given our current agricultural practices.
If consuming plants caused suffering, ...
- 131
3
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
If we were to discover somehow that (sentient) life was so unlikely that it were almost impossible that it forms even once in the whole universe...
That doesn't seem like something that could ...
- 161
3
votes
Is there an essential distinction between experienced and observed consciousness?
David Chalmers (9 pages):
https://consc.net/papers/oxford1.pdf
[W]e must reconcile the third-person and first-person views of mentality.
We have three things between which we must find the ...
- 3,198
2
votes
Does the possession of mind imply sentience and vice versa?
This answer has several parts.
First, you are misinterpreting Schrodinger. He is not denying that perception can come from matter, he explicitly leaves that open (nothing can be "discarded" ...
- 17.4k
2
votes
Does the possession of mind imply sentience and vice versa?
Sentience, capable of sensing.
Consciousness, awareness of things. Often implied is self-consciousness or self awareness.
Studies on coma patients show some of their brains can respond to sounds, and ...
- 23.8k
2
votes
Could general-AI language generation be a test for sentience, sapience, or consciousness?
Check out "Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence," an extensive preprint written by a number of philosophers. Here is the abstract:
Whether current or near-term AI systems could be ...
- 151
2
votes
What is the difference between appearing to be sentient and able to make personal subjective statements and being sentient
This is a very tough question with no clear criteria for determining an answer.
The classic answer, the Turing Test, in my view fails, because humans beings are not the best at making this judgment. ...
- 261
2
votes
The implication if we discovered that natural abiogenesis is statistically nearly impossible
I would say that even if we were able to calculate this probability with absolute certainty (let's assume we can), than it wouldn't necessarily imply creation. Assuming that the probability of ...
2
votes
Is there an essential distinction between experienced and observed consciousness?
My view is that there is no problem of other minds. Other minds can reasonably be inferred. The alternative is senseless. There is no hard problem of consciousness. Consciousness is universal. ...
- 3,025
1
vote
The Leibniz - Turing Dilemma
The limitation here is that the identity of indiscernibles is a metaphysical principle, not a principle of any form of distinguishability. A machine constructed from fabricated silicon wafers is ...
- 5,990
1
vote
What is the difference between appearing to be sentient and able to make personal subjective statements and being sentient
This is a good question by all standards. Here's what I believe is a rather disturbing dilemma:
Once AI passes the Turing test ... either AI is sentient or Humans are not sentient.
- 5,460
1
vote
Accepted
With how much certainty can one define something as alive and sentient,or inanimate and non-sentient?
You appear to be looking for definitive analytic criteria. This is not available, as spelled out in the answers to this prior closely related question: Philosophy and the question 'When is a ...
- 17.4k
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