Month: September 2022

SUBJECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS. “Ordinary human beings are conscious. That is, there is something it is like to be us. We have conscious experiences with a subjective character: there is something it is like to see, to hear, to feel, and to think. These conscious experiences lie at the heart of our mental lives, and are a central part of what gives our lives meaning and value.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

TWO OPPOSING VIEWS. “Biological theorists of consciousness hold that consciousness is essentially biological and that no nonbiological system can be conscious. Functionalist theorists of consciousness hold that what matters to consciousness is not biological makeup but causal structure and causal role, so that a nonbiological system can be conscious as long as it is organized correctly.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

THE UNKNOWN. “Can an upload be conscious? The issue here is complicated by the fact that our understanding of consciousness is so poor. No-one knows just why or how brain processes give rise to consciousness. Neuroscience is gradually discovering various neural correlates of consciousness, but this research program largely takes the existence of consciousness for granted.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

MIRROR UPLOAD. “Suppose that we can create a perfect upload of a brain inside a computer. For each neuron in the original brain, there is a computational element that duplicates its input/output behavior perfectly.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

THE IDEAL MIRROR UPLOAD. “So I think that by far the most plausible hypothesis is that full consciousness will stay present throughout.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

TECHNOLOGY BOTTLENECK. “Will there be a singularity? I think that it is certainly not out of the question, and that the main obstacles are likely to be obstacles of motivation rather than obstacles of capacity.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

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FINAL CAUTIONS. “How should we negotiate the singularity? Very carefully, by building appropriate values into machines, and by building the first AI and AI+ systems in virtual worlds.” https://lnkd.in/e335knp View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS the exploration of mind uploading. This remains a concept, and now multiple initiatives, too interesting to pass by. Indeed, one of the most bold and far-reaching ideas in biology today, coincident with the emerging interest in mind and consciousness itself as a legitimate field of study. Once considered not a scientific enquiry, but rather the domain of mystics, consciousness has attracted serious thinkers today. Only time will reveal how this will develop. View in LinkedIn

WE START on an exploration of programmable metamaterials, a fascinating field that has advanced considerably in the past few decades after seemingly springing out of nowhere. As humans understand more about the physical world that they live in, it becomes apparent that intrinsic information is at the heart of simply everything. And if you can grab that information by the tail, you can manipulate it, and more. View in LinkedIn