scientiasalon.wordpress.com
Free Will, the Basics – Scientia Salon
https://scientiasalon.wordpress.com/2015/01/28/book-review-free-will-the-basics
Philosophy, Science, and all interesting things in between. Free Will, the Basics. Free Will, the Basics. January 28, 2015. Bull; ( 81. This essay is part of a special free will week at Scientia Salon. The Editor promises not to touch the topic again for a long while after this particular orgy, of course assuming he has any choice in the matter…]. The first thing to appreciate about Griffith’s book (other than its brevity! Blame you, but if you do it on purpose I am justified in remonstrating. Griffi...
nothingismere.com
Loosemore on AI safety and attractors | nothing is mere
https://nothingismere.com/2014/08/25/loosemore-on-ai-safety-and-attractors
Loosemore on AI safety and attractors. Diams; August 25, 2014. Diams; 32 Comments. Richard Loosemore recently wrote an essay criticizing worries about AI safety, “ The Maverick Nanny with a Dopamine Drip. 8220; (Subtitle: “Debunking Fallacies in the Theory of AI Motivation”.) His argument has two parts. First:. 1 Any AI system that’s smart enough to pose a large risk will be smart enough to understand human intentions, and smart enough to rewrite itself to conform to those intentions. 8 Since AI is compl...
nothingismere.com
Should we stop punching nerds? | nothing is mere
https://nothingismere.com/2015/01/05/punching-nerds
Should we stop punching nerds? Diams; January 5, 2015. Diams; 23 Comments. In a December 14 comment on his blog. Here’s the thing: I spent my formative years basically, from the age of 12 until my mid-20s feeling not entitled, not privileged, but terrified. Be sexual harassment or assault. I left each of those workshops with enough fresh paranoia and self-hatred to last me through another year. […]. The most enlightened males, in fact are filled with hidden entitlement and privilege and a propensity to s...
citizensearth.wordpress.com
In the eye of a goddess | Arbor Vitae
https://citizensearth.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/in-the-eye-of-a-goddess
A future for humanity and life on Earth. In the eye of a goddess. If we want to describe the fundamental laws of nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid subtle distortions in our language that gloss over some of the finer details. Even evolution is prone to this kind of pitfall. Casual descriptions of evolution almost always fall into the teleological trap. It’s impossible not to be stunned to see him wielding this generalisation like the brush of an experienced painter. Scott’s beautiful...My article is...
citizensearth.wordpress.com
Why I think neuroscientists should be wary of using the term “consciousness” | Arbor Vitae
https://citizensearth.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/why-i-think-neuroscientists-should-be-wary-of-using-the-term-consciousness
A future for humanity and life on Earth. Why I think neuroscientists should be wary of using the term “consciousness”. Being sceptical about consciousness in neuroscience doesn’t challenge the view that an artificial neural network could, in theory, reproduce all the behaviours displayed by a human. It’s not about suggesting that consciousness is non-physical, or suggesting that neuroscientists/AI-researchers. Us to adopt it again in order to understand the subject matter that it related to. Perhaps ...
citizensearth.wordpress.com
The troubled circle of consciousness (philosophy of mind) | Arbor Vitae
https://citizensearth.wordpress.com/2015/05/03/the-troubled-circle-of-consciousness-philosophy-of-mind
A future for humanity and life on Earth. The troubled circle of consciousness (philosophy of mind). I’ve been concerned for a while that consciousness, used by many as a starting point for fairly important moral reasoning, is a shaky concept when we try to utilise it outside its traditional dualist. 8211; the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness. Of one’s own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc. Perhaps even more worryingly, this problem isn’t limited to...
citizensearth.wordpress.com
Using “Consciousness” in monist/physicalist thought makes no sense | Arbor Vitae
https://citizensearth.wordpress.com/2014/12/26/consciousness-in-monistphysicalist-thought-makes-no-sense
A future for humanity and life on Earth. Using “Consciousness” in monist/physicalist thought makes no sense. I thought I might publish this little note that I wrote a little while ago on “consciousness” being combined with apparently monist/physicalist/materialist thought. The modern concept of Consciousness is an idea that was originally derived from Descartes. Since then no clear or widely accepted definition of Consciousness has arisen ( the first paragraph here is a good illustration. Mend it, don...
