Re:Consciousness and the Laws of Physics
by imtringued on Sunday July 18, 2021 @07:01AM
(#27872019)
You know I was thinking why humans do not distinguish between material possessions in an immaterial world (video games) and material possessions in a material world.
Well, it turns out there is no difference. We value immaterial things because of the immaterial information we have about them. If I spend 3 months of salary on a shiny rock (diamonds) what makes the diamond special? It clearly isn't worth that much. There are substitutes and even artificial diamonds that are flawless that are superior to natural diamonds. It's only in combination with the information about the 3 months that the diamond ring becomes valuable and only to those who have the information and value the information. If I tell my wife that I spent 1 month even though I spent 3 months she will think I am cheap. If I divorce and marry again the new wife will not care about the old ring.
There is no material world for us. We are just an information processing being and our body is just a puppet.
If information processing is all we do then it should be clear that we can create consciousness through simulation and given the right structure it is not a matter of yes or no but rather a matter of degree.
Well, it turns out there is no difference. We value immaterial things because of the immaterial information we have about them. If I spend 3 months of salary on a shiny rock (diamonds) what makes the diamond special? It clearly isn't worth that much. There are substitutes and even artificial diamonds that are flawless that are superior to natural diamonds. It's only in combination with the information about the 3 months that the diamond ring becomes valuable and only to those who have the information and value the information. If I tell my wife that I spent 1 month even though I spent 3 months she will think I am cheap. If I divorce and marry again the new wife will not care about the old ring.
There is no material world for us. We are just an information processing being and our body is just a puppet.
If information processing is all we do then it should be clear that we can create consciousness through simulation and given the right structure it is not a matter of yes or no but rather a matter of degree.