WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A ROCK
Aaron Sloman · 2014
This paper aims to replace deep sounding unanswerable, time-wasting pseudoquestions which are often posed in the context of attacking some version of the strong AI thesis, with deep, discovery-driving, real questions about the nature and content of internal states of intelligent agents of various kinds. In particular the question What is it like to be an X?' is often thought to identify a type of phenomenon for which no physical conditions can be sufficient, and which cannot be replicated in computer-based agents. This paper tries to separate out (a) aspects of the question that are important and provide part of the objective characterisation of the states, or capabilities of an agent, and which help to define the ontology that is to be implemented in modelling such an agent, from (b) aspects that are incoherent. The paper supports a philosophical position that is anti-reductionist without being dualist or mystical. Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Strategy 2 3 Preliminary conclusion 8 4 S...