From: Matt Mahoney (matmahoney@yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Mar 06 2008 - 08:58:55 MST
--- Krekoski Ross <rosskrekoski@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > How do you measure complexity? How many bits are required for
> > consciousness?
> >
> > A lot, but we don't know enough yet to put a lower bound on it.
> >
>
> We dont have a clue about consciousness in non-human entities (animals etc)
> and where on the tree of life we want to draw a cut-off point, but we can be
> conservative and set an upper lower bound. Since the human genome has approx
> 3x10^9 base pairs (of which each pair has 4 states), about 6x10^9 bits. or
> 6Gbits. While the human brain holds significantly more information than
> 6Gbits, it could be argued that the brain itself is a recursive fractal
> generated by some subset of the 6Gbit base pair 'program' we have in our
> DNA.
The argument fails because it is based on the unproven assumption that
consciousness exists. What exists is a universal belief in consciousness.
But there is no objective test for consciousness. We should not assume that a
rational posthuman intelligence will share this belief.
Your brain is a computer. It will believe whatever it is programmed to
believe.
-- Matt Mahoney, matmahoney@yahoo.com
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