Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Human Mind, Robots, And Self-Awareness

        As artificial intelligence continues to advance, one might wonder if this progress could eventually lead to robots attaining self-awareness. However, this notion is fundamentally flawed. Every question or statement a robot processes is based on pre-programmed answers created by human beings.

        Further, computer systems lack the ability to understand concepts in the same way that human brains do. Humans possess subjective experiences, feelings, and intentions that machines cannot replicate. We experience emotions and have personal intentions, elements that a computer system cannot truly grasp.

        As noted by Michael Egnor in the article "The Brain is Not a Meat Computer," thinking is fundamentally different from computation. Computation, by its nature, lacks inherent meaning, whereas thought is always imbued with meaning. This lack of inherent meaning in computation is what makes it so versatile, as it can be applied to a wide range of tasks without imparting its own meaning to them.

        The essence of consciousness goes far beyond possessing high intelligence and vast memory storage. At most, a computer can simulate a conscious mind, but it cannot be truly conscious. Cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian's reference to the "Hard Problem of Consciousness," coined by philosopher David Chalmers, challenges the understanding of how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences and sensations.

        This discussion also has theological implications. Christians argue that true consciousness is not possible for robots because it requires an immaterial soul, a fundamental aspect of human creation by God. The notion that metal and wires could possess consciousness assumes that humans are merely material beings, overlooking the spiritual dimension of human existence.

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