science – CHARLES GILLINGHAM

Characters

Systems of information and human consciousness Maybe the mind and the self are a kind of system of information or a pattern, analogous to the software and structured data in a computer. It’s not physical, it’s an arrangement of a set physical things that represents an information system. This has the advantage over the metaphysicalContinue reading “Characters”

The Paradox of Mary and Mark

Young boy and girl smiling, girl wearing smart glasses with cameras

On subjective consciousness This is a variation on Frank Jackson’s thought experiment “Mary’s Room” (1982). This much of the argument should convince you that you believe subjective consciousness is real. There is nothing confusing or mysterious about the concept. You know exactly what I mean when I say “there is a difference between knowing whichContinue reading “The Paradox of Mary and Mark”

Ghosts and Other Invisible Stuff

Metaphysical consciousness and the human essence. The characters in Ghost in the Shell struggle to understand their “ghost” — their actual self, the real person beneath all the cybernetic enhancements in their bodies, brains and bloodstream. Major Motoko Kusanagi: Maybe all full-replacement cyborgs like me start wondering this. That perhaps the real me died aContinue reading “Ghosts and Other Invisible Stuff”

Considering Samantha

On human essence Let’s talk about the movie Her — a work of genius that goes right to the heart of a number of issues in the philosophy of artificial intelligence. The prediction at the center of the film — that a human simulation would become the world’s most popular program and people would becomeContinue reading “Considering Samantha”

Why Didn’t We Go Back to The Moon?

Notes on Progress TIME MACHINES Human bodies are time machines. My grandfather, born in 1896, grew up in the “wild west” of California: horses, buggies, the occasional train. Before he died, he flew 400 mph in a jet airliner as big as a building and watched men walk on the moon. But what happened duringContinue reading “Why Didn’t We Go Back to The Moon?”

The Human Essence Assumption

. This is an assumptions that are almost always made in science fiction, and often made in non-fiction writing about AI. I’ve written eight or so articles about it. To be honest, this article is mostly a way to try to keep my thinking straight. But it might also be interesting to you all andContinue reading “The Human Essence Assumption”