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Bernardo de La Paz

(59,744 posts)
17. There is no binary state of being conscious vs not being conscious.
Fri Oct 17, 2025, 10:58 PM
Friday

Awakening is a pre-eminent example of emergence. Disregarding alarm clocks and such, most often we are sleeping then become drowsy and move about a bit and then gradually become aware of our situation and toy with the idea of getting up or going back to sleep and then we decide to get up.

What is this "more" that you talk about? That is the nub of the problem. Religions like to control us by telling us there is a heaven and a hell some place other than this place and some other time than the here and now and just believe and behave and most especially follow our instructions and you will be saved. Or perhaps not that specifically, but other paradigms.

(Stereotypes follow, take lightly)
Hindus say there are other lives past and present and we are on a cycle or an ascending path, perhaps with backsliding.
Christians say that after we die we (ideally) become something better, a bored person in a cloud praising god all the time.
New-agers (there are many varieties), some say you have a "better self" watching over you.
(just a sample of religions)

You tell me that I am more than I think. What do I think? You can't read my thoughts so please don't tell me what I think or what to think. But you can spell out more clearly what this vague "more" is that you believe in.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Wasn't the AI warned not to take the brown ASCII? Dave Bowman Friday #1
Lol! Blues Heron Friday #2
Now ask it markodochartaigh Friday #3
Artificial Intelligence is much larger than just LLMs. . . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Friday #4
"Hallucinations" seems like an overly dramatic word for mistakes. enough Friday #5
Mistake is not a world that means speak easy Friday #7
There is an intangible aspect to human consciousness that AI can never faithfully reproduce. patphil Friday #6
There is also something more tangible - fundamental uncertainty. speak easy Friday #8
There is no spooky-woo to human consciousness. It is simply emergent behaviour Bernardo de La Paz Friday #9
This is a brilliant post Alephy Friday #10
spooky-woo? What's that? patphil Friday #11
Spooky-woo is this: Alephy Friday #12
It's sad that you have to critcize in such a derrogatory way that which you don't beleive in and have no experience of. patphil Friday #14
I apologize if I offended you Alephy Friday #16
Apology accepted. Perhaps a little over reaction on both sides. patphil Friday #18
There is no binary state of being conscious vs not being conscious. Bernardo de La Paz Friday #17
I don't tell people what to think. I find that to be a worthless and thankless endeavor. patphil Friday #19
Again, I ask, what is this "more" you speak of. . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Saturday #20
Considering the smarter experts on AI have been pointing out this fundamental problem with LLMs highplainsdem Friday #13
It's not "admitting" anything. WhiskeyGrinder Friday #15
When you scrape the internet to train your LLM... tinrobot Saturday #21
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL" Swede Saturday #22
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that" speak easy Saturday #23
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