| ▲ | dahart 15 hours ago | |
This comment illustrates the core problem with reductionism, a problem that has been known for many centuries, that “a system is composed entirely of its parts, but the system will have features that none of the parts have” [1] thus fails to explain those features. The ‘you have never seen’ assertion feels like a semantic ruse rather than a helpful observation. So how do you define “you” and “see”? If I accept your argument, then you’ve only un-defined those words, and not provided a meaningful or thoughtful alternative to the experience we all have and therefore know exists. I have seen the night sky. I am made of cells, and I can see. My cells individually can’t see, and whether or not they can claim to be individuals, they won’t survive or perform their function without me, i.e., the rest of my cells, arranged in a very particular way. Today’s AI is also a ruse. It’s a mirror and not a living thing. It looks like a living thing from the outside, but it’s only a reflection of us, an incomplete one, and unlike living things it cannot survive on its own, can’t eat or sleep or dream or poop or fight or mate & reproduce. Never had its own thoughts, it only borrowed mine and yours. Most LLMs can’t remember yesterday and don’t learn. Nobody who’s serious or knows how they work is arguing they’re conscious, at least not the people who don’t stand to make a lot of money selling you magical chat bots. | ||