Join with a free account for more service, or become a member for full access to exclusives and extra support of WorldSupporter >>
What views are there on the consciousness of machines? CH.17
When asked whether a machine has a consciousness, two answers are possible from two perspectives. A functionalist will say that robots have a consciousness because they can perform certain tasks as robots. However, an inessentialist does not believe that machines or robots can have a consciousness because there is no inner experience with machines.
There are several arguments to indicate that machines could never have a consciousness. For example, based on your religion, you can say that God has only given a consciousness to man. It is also possible to say that robots have no consciousness, because only living organisms can have a consciousness.
Searle coined the Chinese Room thought experiment with which he stated that a computer itself can never really understand anything. He thinks that man has intentionality and not a machine. According to Searle, intentionality is a subjective issue and therefore related to consciousness.
There has been a lot of criticism on Searle. So there has been the 'brain simulator reply'. This means that there can be a program that can simulate the way neurons fire in Chinese brains. There are also differences of opinion about what Searle's thought experiment really proves. Finally, there is the argument that there are things that machines can not do. If we can do these things, it means that we are more than just machines and that we have something special, namely a consciousness.
How should a conscious machine be built? CH.18
Kismet was the first robot to look like a human being. You might think that Kismet has no consciousness because it consists of metal and performs simple routine actions. Yet it is true that there is no place in Kismet where 'everything comes together' (as is sometimes said about consciousness).
Suppose people have an X that ensures that they have a consciousness. If we want to make a conscious robot, then we have to figure out what this X is. McGinn wonders whether this X (which he calls C *) can exist in objects. He concludes that we can never know that.
Stuart proposes 'engaged embodiment'; purposeful animation, perception, imagination and the ability to recognize experiences as own experiences.
Aleksander came up with the Kernel Architecture (KA). The key mechanism in this is depicting: creating a direct representation where elements of the world are located that ensure that attention can be directed in a suitable manner.
How does unconscious processing work? CH.19
Cheesman and Merikle distinguished between an objective threshold value (the level of detection by which a distinction is made between perceptual information on the basis of random phenomena) and subjective threshold value (the value at which participants say that they could not distinguish between perceptual information and that their answers come from random phenomena). .
It is also possible that unconscious perception affects the emotions of people. Brain scans also show that unconscious perception can be found in the brain, for example in the amygdala.
Opinions vary widely as to whether unconscious problem solving takes place. Broadbent and Berry have conducted studies showing that it is possible to unconsciously solve problems.
There are three parts of intuition, namely cognitive processes, social skills and emotion.
Creativity can be seen as a way in which explicit and intuitive skills come together. However, it is not clear where creativity comes from. Perhaps creativity allows people to bring together cultural knowledge ('memes') in special ways to form new memes.
Bulletpoint Summary of Consciousness: An Introduction - by Susan Blackwell
- Bulletpoint Consciousness- An Introduction (ch1 to ch3)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch4 to ch6)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch7 to ch9)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch10 to 13)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch14 to 16)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch17to 19)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch 20 to 22)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch23 to 25)
- Bulletpoint Consciousness - An Introduction (ch26 to 27)
- Book Summary of Consciousness: An Introduction - by Susan Blackwell
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams
- Check out: Register with JoHo WorldSupporter: starting page (EN)
- Check out: Aanmelden bij JoHo WorldSupporter - startpagina (NL)
How and why would you use WorldSupporter.org for your summaries and study assistance?
- For free use of many of the summaries and study aids provided or collected by your fellow students.
- For free use of many of the lecture and study group notes, exam questions and practice questions.
- For use of all exclusive summaries and study assistance for those who are member with JoHo WorldSupporter with online access
- For compiling your own materials and contributions with relevant study help
- For sharing and finding relevant and interesting summaries, documents, notes, blogs, tips, videos, discussions, activities, recipes, side jobs and more.
Using and finding summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
- Use the menu above every page to go to one of the main starting pages
- Starting pages: for some fields of study and some university curricula editors have created (start) magazines where customised selections of summaries are put together to smoothen navigation. When you have found a magazine of your likings, add that page to your favorites so you can easily go to that starting point directly from your profile during future visits. Below you will find some start magazines per field of study
- Use the topics and taxonomy terms
- The topics and taxonomy of the study and working fields gives you insight in the amount of summaries that are tagged by authors on specific subjects. This type of navigation can help find summaries that you could have missed when just using the search tools. Tags are organised per field of study and per study institution. Note: not all content is tagged thoroughly, so when this approach doesn't give the results you were looking for, please check the search tool as back up
- Check or follow your (study) organizations:
- by checking or using your study organizations you are likely to discover all relevant study materials.
- this option is only available trough partner organizations
- Check or follow authors or other WorldSupporters
- by following individual users, authors you are likely to discover more relevant study materials.
- Use the Search tools
- 'Quick & Easy'- not very elegant but the fastest way to find a specific summary of a book or study assistance with a specific course or subject.
- The search tool is also available at the bottom of most pages
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
- Check out: Why and how to add a WorldSupporter contributions
- JoHo members: JoHo WorldSupporter members can share content directly and have access to all content: Join JoHo and become a JoHo member
- Non-members: When you are not a member you do not have full access, but if you want to share your own content with others you can fill out the contact form
Quicklinks to fields of study for summaries and study assistance
Field of study
- All studies for summaries, study assistance and working fields
- Communication & Media sciences
- Corporate & Organizational Sciences
- Cultural Studies & Humanities
- Economy & Economical sciences
- Education & Pedagogic Sciences
- Health & Medical Sciences
- IT & Exact sciences
- Law & Justice
- Nature & Environmental Sciences
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
- Public Administration & Social Sciences
- Science & Research
- Technical Sciences
Add new contribution