In a message dated 3/22/2001 11:40:49 PM Eastern Standard Time,
lcorbin@ricochet.net writes:
<< Okay, to start: we may not be agreeing about what a zombie is.
Here is Dennett's definition, p. 72-73 of Consciousness
Explained: "According to common agreement among philosophers,
a zombie is or would be a human being who exhibits perfectly
natural, alert, loquascious, vivacious behavior but is in
fact not conscious at all, but rather some sort of automaton."
Of course, you may mean by "conscious" something a little
different from what the philosophers mean, (or are trying
to mean!), also.
Let's proceed slowly, here, and sorry that space prevents
me from replying at length to all your points today.
Lee Corbin >>
Zombie would seem to indicate that the purpose of such programs is to
convince a "self-aware" observer, that the zombies are, in fact, self-aware
individuals. The similarity would be the section of the Enterprise Computer
systems (gee whiz! memetic gel-packets) for the series STNG, that supplied
the "holograms" with adequate behavior instructions, for interactions with
the Enterprise crew, at play. When a Zombie became self-aware (conscious)
Professor Moriarity, he ceased being a zombie and became an individual
personality, a mind.
Not that many philosophers watched the Trek episodes, except for that one
fellow from Australia, several years back, and thus talk chiefly amongst
themselves. Few actual philosophers take the large view of a Max More. Hence,
most of us happily turn to scientists, for inspiration and each other. (Group
Hug) Ugh!
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