hereby the term biopsychism is born. @De_dicto do you approve? as in, a term for the biological realizer / vehicle view for phenomenal C (contra functionalism / representationalism). (i always find "physicalist view" potentially misleading; the others aren't dualist / idealists)https://twitter.com/VictorLamme/status/1258855709623693325 …
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Replying to @hakwanlau @De_dicto
Biopsychism is a term coined originally by Ernst Haeckel, for the view that all and only living organisms are conscious. I've written a short paper defending the idea. Happy to share if you're interested.
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Replying to @evantthompson @De_dicto
hakwan lau Retweeted hakwan lau
hi Evan, in ur paper u said u defer arguing that only living organisms are conscious, but refer to Peter Godfrey-Smith. i followed it up but don't really see the argument either. in particular, see convo w/
@NeuroYogacara linked below. what's ur take?https://twitter.com/hakwanlau/status/1259306016858009602?s=20 …hakwan lau added,
hakwan lau @hakwanlauReplying to @NeuroYogacarawas reading Peter Godfrey-Smith & got the same Q: i get it that the bio-mechanisms might be unlike normal algorithms we design, becoz of the evol & bio contexts. but what if we design algorithms to *mimic* them? if they do the same functions, why won't they be just as conscious?1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
[1] I refer to PGS just for the issue about fineness-of-grain for individuating functions, not for the claim that only living organisms are conscious
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Replying to @evantthompson @hakwanlau and
[2] I think we need to distinguish between compositional plasticity and multiple realizability: latter demands same function implemented in different mechanisms operating with different physical principles and causal properties; former is just variation of physical composition
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Replying to @evantthompson @hakwanlau and
[3] I'm doubtful consciousness admits of functional multiple realization, though I don't doubt it can be achieved in different material compositions, but I think they'd have to operate according to biological functional principles, hence requires living system to be realized
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so Evan, you're saying, there could be living robots (having achieved 'alive' status via multiple realization) that are conscious. & there could be silicon-based brains that are conscious (compositional plasticity). but neither is truly non-living. so biopsychism is fine. yes?
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Yes. I don't see why you can't in principle build artificial brains & bodies, but they'd have to be autonomous (in Varela's technical sense), & I doubt that's achievable except through metabolic means (though the cells might be materially different from known Earth cells)
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