It is presumptuous for anyone to claim that computers could posess consciousness, spirituality, or a feeling of self-awareness like humans do, because we do not know exacty consciousness is. Science has no certain definition for spirituality. Computers may one day posess complex problem solving ability and vast knowledge, allowing them to seem much more intelligent than human beings in the intellectual sphere. However, this by no means imbues them with anything like consciousness or spirituality. Consciousness, according to Antonio Damasio, is based on brain activity, but Chakravarthy and others have theorized that the matrix of heart cells could exhibit Hebbian adaptation. Lucretius and the Epicurians, supposed two millenia ago that free will had to stem from atoms 'swerving' randomly, without being driven by external forces. Buddhists believe consciousness to be produced by the entire body, while Chinese medicine is based on the concept of a body-mind. The idea that the internet does not already posess consciousness itself is an assumption. It is a collective of consciousnesses. The implications of this are far more important than science fiction. Also, the idea that human beings posess consciousness is an assumption, since there are varying degrees of concsiousness according to spiritual schools like Buddhism, Sufiism, or even Christianity (the dead vs. the awake). Computers will hopefully help us come to an appreciation of the mystery, rather than arrogantly adding to the assumption that the human brain inherently posesses consciousness or spirituality. = Shadrach33
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It is presumptuous for anyone to claim that computers could posess consciousness, spirituality, or a feeling of self-awareness like humans do, because we do not know exacty consciousness is. Science has no certain definition for spirituality. Computers may one day posess complex problem solving ability and vast knowledge, allowing them to seem much more intelligent than human beings in the intellectual sphere. However, this by no means imbues them with anything like consciousness or spirituality. Consciousness, according to Antonio Damasio, is based on brain activity, but Chakravarthy and others have theorized that the matrix of heart cells could exhibit Hebbian adaptation. Lucretius and the Epicurians, supposed two millenia ago that free will had to stem from atoms 'swerving' randomly, without being driven by external forces. Buddhists believe consciousness to be produced by the entire body, while Chinese medicine is based on the concept of a body-mind. The idea that the internet does not already posess consciousness itself is an assumption. It is a collective of consciousnesses. The implications of this are far more important than science fiction. Also, the idea that human beings posess consciousness is an assumption, since there are varying degrees of concsiousness according to spiritual schools like Buddhism, Sufiism, or even Christianity (the dead vs. the awake). Computers will hopefully help us come to an appreciation of the mystery, rather than arrogantly adding to the assumption that the human brain inherently posesses consciousness or spirituality. = Shadrach33