Re: Three Questions

I answer three questions on the nature of pain...

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[blueadept111]

thanks for the well-considered response. If you can wrap your head around the idea that your microprocessor can actually FEEL pain, it raises lots of interesting questions about what else can (given the rich and varied form that computational systems can take). This relates back to the 'Chinese Room' thought experiment in many ways.

[shemjaza]

I agree. My personal take on the Chinese Room is that the entire system that makes up the Chinese Room can in fact speak Chinese.

[blueadept111]

I'm still agnostic on the idea that my microprocessor can actually FEEL anything. We take it on faith it's the 'computational attributes' of neurons that results in qualitative/subjective experience. (as opposed to what? no idea. Are you familiar with Penrose?).

[shemjaza]

I'm not aware of him, but I only did one subject on philosophy during my degree. I think it even gets hard to even be totally sure that _we_ feel things... given how memory and drugs can interfere with out perceptions. I think it's often easier to run with functional definitions of pain and other such things.

[shemjaza]

I do see your point; but I think the organism enduring the pain could also be described as a beholder of the pain. I'm not sure that two entities which react radically differently to being in a state can really be said to be in the same state at all. Also the microtubules quantum effect seems like a needless complication to the system; is that an attempt to add scientific justification for dualism?

[thedamnarchive]

Pretty good video. Good resposnes.

[ChristianforHumanity]

Weird video...

[blueadept111]

IMO, functional definitions of pain miss the whole point, because functionality is in the eye of the observer, whereas the experience of pain is not. Penrose speculates that neurons' microtubules take advantage of quantum mechanical magic to consciousness. There's no evidence to back that specific claim, it goes to 'we just don't know yet'.

[blueadept111]

IMO, iunctional definitions of pain miss the whole point, because functionality is in the eye of the observer, whereas the experience of pain is not. Penrose speculates that neurons' microtubules take advantage of quantum mechanical magic to consciousness. There's no evidence to back that specific claim, it goes to 'we just don't know yet'.