Consciousness Flashcards
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What are the three possibilities Bostrom proposes in the Simulation Argument?
- Almost all civilizations at our level of development go extinct before becoming posthuman. 2. Posthuman civilizations are not interested in running ancestor simulations. 3. We are almost certainly living in a computer simulation.
What is substrate independence and how does it relate to functionalism?
Substrate independence is the idea that minds can be realized in various physical forms. It’s central to functionalism, which holds that mental states are defined by functional roles, not the material they’re made of.
Define ‘posthuman civilization’ and explain its significance in the simulation argument.
A posthuman civilization is one with immense computing power capable of running detailed simulations. It’s central to the simulation argument because such civilizations could create many simulations, implying we’re likely in one.
Explain Bostrom’s formula for the ‘Percentage of Sims’ and the significance of ‘p(post-human)’ and ‘base-pop’.
The formula calculates the probability we’re in a simulation. ‘p(post-human)’ = fraction of civilizations that reach posthuman stage. ‘base-pop’ = average number of individuals per original non-simulated world.
What is the Self-Indication Principle?
It is the idea that one should reason as if randomly selected from all observers with the same evidence. It supports the likelihood of being in a simulation.
What is phenomenal consciousness according to Nagel?
It’s the subjective experience of ‘what it’s like’ to be something, involving a first-person perspective.
What does Nagel argue in ‘What is it like to be a bat?’
That subjective experience (phenomenal consciousness) cannot be fully understood through objective science.
Distinguish between alethic, ontic, and scientific objectivity.
Alethic: Truth independent of attitudes. Ontic: Existence independent of experience. Scientific: Free from personal bias.
Define ‘point of view’ and ‘phenomenal facts’.
‘Point of view’ is an individual’s subjective perspective. ‘Phenomenal facts’ are facts about what experiences feel like.
What is the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness?
Explaining why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience (qualia).
What are ‘easy’ problems of consciousness?
Functional explanations of cognition, such as perception, memory, and behavior.
What is supervenience in the context of mind-body?
Mental states depend on and are determined by physical states, but aren’t reducible to them.
Define physicalism, dualism, and dual-aspect monism.
Physicalism: everything is physical. Dualism: mind and body are distinct. Dual-aspect monism: mental and physical are two aspects of the same underlying reality.
Explain the Mary the color scientist thought experiment.
Mary knows all physical facts about color but has never seen it. When she does, she learns something new, implying phenomenal knowledge isn’t physical.
What does the knowledge argument suggest about physicalism?
That physicalism is incomplete because it can’t account for subjective experience (qualia).
Define a priori and a posteriori knowledge.
A priori: knowledge independent of experience. A posteriori: knowledge from experience.
What is the intentional fallacy in response to the knowledge argument?
It suggests that Mary’s new knowledge is not about new facts but a new acquaintance with known physical processes.
Distinguish knowledge of facts, abilities, and things.
Facts: propositional knowledge. Abilities: know-how. Things: acquaintance. ‘What it’s like’ may be acquaintance knowledge.
Difference between causation and constitution?
Causation: one thing brings about another. Constitution: one thing is composed of another simultaneously.
Define dual-aspect monism.
Mental and physical are two aspects of one underlying reality, not separate or reducible to each other.
What is the ‘hard problem of matter’?
Understanding what physical properties are beyond structure and function.
What is the combination problem?
How individual conscious experiences combine to form unified consciousness in panpsychism/dual-aspect monism.
Explain Lee’s ‘Light and the Room’ metaphor.
The light = subjectivity (capacity to feel). The room = phenomenal character (what it feels like).
