Will we ever be able to explain consciousness and can we duplicate it artifically?

[Xanikk999]

Humans have never understood consciousness and what makes us think individually.

Is there a reason for this thats unexplainable? It seems even identical twins who are genetically the same have individual conciounces. So even if we could create a human being what would make it think for itself? Can we duplicate the effects?

This is the only thing that stops me from being a complete agnostic.

 

[Masquerouge]

Humans have never understood consciousness and what makes us think individually.

Is there a reason for this thats unexplainable? It seems even identical twins who are genetically the same have individual conciounces. So even if we could create a human being what would make it think for itself? Can we duplicate the effects?

This is the only thing that stops me from being a complete agnostic.

Just on your last sentence : the Greeks could not explain lightning, and so they came up with Zeus. Obviously they were wrong. Why would you believe in God because there is something you can not explain TODAY ? Who knows what the future will bring !

Back on topic, I think that consciousness is a mix of chemical and electrical reactions happening in the brain, on too complicated a level for us to explain it with our current scientific level. But we're making progress...

 

[Tenochtitlan]

If we really do have free will (an x factor if you will) then it will be really difficult to duplicate artificially. If intelligence\awareness\consciousness can be maintained in a predetermined universe then it won't be that hard to duplicate.

The main reason consciousness is unexplainable is that we cannot measure or map how neurons work together and link them to our actions in an accurate and precise manner. It is simply too complex and difficult. Perhaps in the future we will have the technology to figure out the algorithm.

 

[Irish Caesar]

I'm sure some day we will. Why would this be inconsistent with God?

 

[Xanikk999]

Just on your last sentence : the Greeks could not explain lightning, and so they came up with Zeus. Obviously they were wrong. Why would you believe in God because there is something you can not explain TODAY ? Who knows what the future will bring !

Back on topic, I think that consciousness is a mix of chemical and electrical reactions happening in the brain, on too complicated a level for us to explain it with our current scientific level. But we're making progress...

I never said i did beileve in god. Im more of an agnostic theist. I think its possible that peoples consciousness could arise again in another body, like reincarnation.

I think that if it happened in this life whats stopping it from occuring again after we die?

But i never said i beileved in god.

 

[Mirc]

No .

 

[Xanikk999]

No .

Very good insight . Do you have anything to add to the discussion?

 

[Mirc]

No, I'm so sure it won't happen. I believe in God. That explains most of my long post above.

 

[El_Machinae]

I think we duplicate consciousness every time we raise a baby.

I DO think that we'll be able to move our minds onto computers, someday.

 

[Xanikk999]

I think we duplicate consciousness every time we raise a baby.

I DO think that we'll be able to move our minds onto computers, someday.

I meant duplicate a person consciousness. Not create a new consciousness in the case of a baby.

Obviously being genitically the same does not duplicate conciensness as seen in the case of clones and identical twins.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, I cannot see how we could perfect duplicate a consciousness, since each consciousness tends to have different inputs.

I guess if you locked up a identical brain to mine, and fed it all my sensory input, you'd have your answer.

 

[Babbler]

I think within the next century or so, scientists will be able to unlock the secrets of the brain. At least, it will occupy a lot of their time.

 

[punkbass2000]

Humans have never understood consciousness and what makes us think individually.

Is there a reason for this thats unexplainable? It seems even identical twins who are genetically the same have individual conciounces. So even if we could create a human being what would make it think for itself? Can we duplicate the effects?

This is the only thing that stops me from being a complete agnostic.

I think we will first need to be able to detect consciousness.

 

[Perfection]

I think within the next century or so, scientists will be able to unlock the secrets of the brain. At least, it will occupy a lot of their time.

Yeah, but we get a free tech after that.

 

[El_Machinae]

I think we will first need to be able to detect consciousness.

That was amazingly insightful - thanks. Really.

Even one hand clapping is right twice a day, it seems.

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Hey, I solved that one a while back. The sound of one hand clapping is 'clap'. Try it yourself by holding your fingers next to one another and rapidly opening and closing your fist. Keep the two outermost finger joints straight.

(Or you can go with DEATH's solution from Terry Pratchett: "One hand makes the "cl". The other hand makes the "ap". What you did was one hand waving.)

 

[atreas]

As long as you believe there is nothing more than atoms, neurons, and chemical procedures there is nothing that prevents you from believing you will eventually explain and/or duplicate consciousness. The problem is that there is no proof about that - on the contrary, experiments like these on identical twins are against this theory.

As long as you believe there are other non-material substances that are "encapsulated" into consciousness, you obviously can't claim that you can duplicate it - unless you can also control these other elements. The problem is that you also can't prove that - on the contrary, the course of humanity has shown that many things that seemed unexplicable centuries ago now seem perfectly natural and explicable.

Consciousness isn't the end of all things, and it is certainly affected by parameters like the enviroment where each individual lives and the amount of experience he gets through life. But you can't answer your question without resorting to faith - whether you choose to believe the one thing or the other. It's a bit ironic the fact that to choose not to believe in something you have to believe in something else.

 

[El_Machinae]

As long as you believe there are other non-material substances that are "encapsulated" into consciousness, you obviously can't claim that you can duplicate it

I call this mysterious stuff "information"

 

[Perfection]

As long as you believe there is nothing more than atoms, neurons, and chemical procedures there is nothing that prevents you from believing you will eventually explain and/or duplicate consciousness. The problem is that there is no proof about that

There's no reason to assert that conciousness has any special immaterial property

- on the contrary, experiments like these on identical twins are against this theory.

What experiments are you talking about?

 

[warpus]

I doubt we'll be able to fully explain it - but I don't see why we wouldn't be able to duplicate it.

Humans are after all biological machines - if you duplicate the machine you will duplicate its abilities.