From: nospam@example.net   
      
   On Wed, 24 Apr 2024, Stefan Ram wrote:   
      
   > Richmond  wrote or quoted:   
   >> Some theorize that the purpose of consciousness is to allow us to do   
   >> psychology, i.e. to have some insight into what it is like to be someone   
   >> else.   
   >   
   >  A simple AI chatbot can often do a pretty good job at answering   
   >  psychological questions.   
   >   
   >  But the "insight" you mentioned is important in the following   
   >  way: We can experience pain. So we also see it as immoral to   
   >  inflict pain on others. However, we don't see it as immoral   
   >  to hit a wooden table, because we think it can't feel pain.   
   >   
   >  And that's consciousness - when we say it's immoral to hit   
   >  something, we're assuming it has consciousness and can suffer.   
   >   
   >  So, it's not the same as being able to process information.   
   >  An electronic circuit or a digital computer, they can both   
   >  process information just fine. But we don't think they're   
   >  actually feeling anything when they do it.   
      
   Add to that, that harming plants, microbes and (for some people) "lesser"   
   animals such as insticts don't count when it comes to what is moral and not   
   moral,   
   and the picture gets more complicated still.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)