Re: Predictions by Kurzweil

From: John Clark (jonkc@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Wed Feb 16 2000 - 23:03:26 MST


Brent Allsop <allsop@fc.hp.com> Wrote:

>"what is it like to be a bat?"

Someday you might know what it's like for Brent Allsop to be a bat
but you'll never know what it's like for a bat to be a bat because if
you did then you wouldn't be Brent Allsop anymore.

> Though we can't yet know for sure, I have a good idea that
> others have inner lives.

Of course it's just a hunch, I can't prove anything and never will but
I think that's mostly true too, other people act conscious so they
probably are, however I don't think people in a deep sleep or the
dead are conscious because they don't act as if they are. I would
use the same reasoning if the person's skin was black or white or
even made of stainless steel.

>I'd bet there are at least some people that use a different qualia to
> represent 700 nm light than the particular "red" one I use.

But how, even in theory, could you ever know if the theory that told you that
was correct. The trouble is an incorrect qualia theory works just as well
as a correct one, so they're not much use.

      John K Clark jonkc@att.net



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