In article 792283358snz at grithill.demon.co.uk, rwalker at grithill.demon.co.uk (robin walker) writes:
>In article <1392 at percep.demon.co.uk>
>rmallott at percep.demon.co.uk "rmallott" writes:
>>> In article <3grin5$m2 at ixnews1.ix.netcom.com> Gerald McNerney
>> <mcnerney at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>>>> > Is the internet ever capable of attaining consciousness? How can we
>>.....stuff deleted.....
>When a widely acceptable definition of consciousness is established, the
>Internet will be found to fit it.
Um, nope, not if you've read Penrose's and others' arguements against strong
artificial intelligence. For example, in principle one could construct a
computer from cogs and wheels, water pipes or whatever you fancy as your
logic gates. So one could, in principle, form an "Internet" of those
"computers". All the Internet will ever be is an extremely complex set
of connected computers. It won't become "conscious" and thereby administer
itself (and put millions of SA types out of work!), for example, while it
is composed of the sorts of Turing machines it is now. That's not to say that
some day a fully conscious "computer" might not be produced - an inevitable
consequence of our understanding consciousness, from past experience (cf.
the atomic bomb and genetic engineering) - from which a conscious Internet
might be formed. But don't hold your breath!
Ben
(P.S. Imagine if Intel already had the knowledge to make a "conscious computer"
chip. Then maybe the Pentium would be schizophrenic!)
