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From: rjf@seismo.CSS.GOV@ukc.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.ai
Subject: Consciousness
Message-ID: <8612102024.AA09936@mcvax.cwi.nl>
Date: Wed, 10-Dec-86 15:11:01 EST
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Posted: Wed Dec 10 15:11:01 1986
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In <960671.861204.KFL@MX.LCS.MIT.EDU> KFL%MX.LCS.MIT.EDU@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU
("Keith F. Lynch") writes:
>    From: mcvax!ukc!rjf@seismo.css.gov  (R.J.Faichney)
>
>    ... to ascribe consciousness to something man-made, no matter how perfect
>    it's performance, will always require an effort of will...
>
>  The net is an excellent medium for Turing tests...
>  Let me play the Turing game in reverse for a moment, and ask if you
>would bet a lot of money that nobody would regard a computer as
>conscious if it were to have written this message?
>								...Keith

I would certainly bet that *most* people would not regard a computer as
conscious if it had written your message, or even mine. If someone
had lived for several years with a supposed-person who turned out to be
a robot, they would be severely shocked, when they discovered that fact, 
and would *not* say 'Well, you certainly had me fooled. I guess you robots
must be conscious after all.' 

I explained in an earlier posting why I believe the naive reaction to be
important. The problem is not just about what would deserve the attribution
of consciousness, but about what we feel about making that attribution.
And such feelings go much deeper than mere prejudice. I think they go as
deep as love and sex, and are equally valid and valuable. I often turn
machines on, but they don't do the same for me - they're not good enough,
because they're not folks. And never will be.

(A promise for all you hard AIers - no more on this, from me, at least.
Well - no more in mod.ai, anyway.)

Robin Faichney	  ("My employers don't know anything about this.")

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