How do we differentiate between those that are conscious and those that are not? Certainly you can't just ask somebody to tell you the truth... and you can't go by judgement of character and personality. Any robot that is programmed sufficiently advanced can indeed put up a very convincing front that it is "alive". Say we cut it open, only to discover the circuitry has been fashioned out of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms (organic matter), arranged in such a way that no lab test could deffinitively prove that some advanced civilization didn't manufacture this entity with state-of-the-art technological tools. Say the micro chip has been "shrunk" to the point that all integrated circuits are the size of mere miniscule molecules and/or atoms (neglecting quantum obstacles) and for all practicle purposes, can just be passed off as "neural networks".

Can I argue that my mother must be conscious? Obviously since I originated from her womb, and I know for sure that I am conscious (unquestionably), than it must follow that she is one of "us" (the conscious group). Then again... how do I really know that that is my mom and not some intelligent computer? Afterall, I can't recall being born... and I certainly don't remember her being there with me at the moment of my birth. I just take everybodies' word for it. If babies had the capacity to remember being born... then there would be no shock upon being hit with the surprise phrase "Honey, you were adopted".

Now how do you know that I myself am "real"... perhaps I'm just coming up with this stuff to make you think such...? I guess there really is no way to prove it. We humans just accept that everybody else is alive on FAITH alone, but very much understandably so...

• Could I be charged with murder? - smartguy - October 18, 2001 - 01:50 UTC
  • Yes, it's not clear-cut is it? - stormcrow - October 18, 2001 - 04:32 UTC
    • What data? - harvey1 - October 18, 2001 - 05:02 UTC