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Comment by mannykannot

12 hours ago

Yet when you model an Enigma machine, it does encrypt and decrypt messages.

I'd argue that if it encrypts and decrypts, then you've built an enigma machine, not modeled it.

  • Then, presumably, you will also hold that when you have digitally modeled a brain such that the model responds to its inputs as a brain does, then you have built a brain.

    Tendentiously redefining the word "simulation" in an attempt to avoid the awkward cases is not going to save an argument that was dead on arrival.

    • I will indeed hold that, and it was my point to go to against post you were replying to and bolster your position. They try to make a point about modeling but they back it up by talking about virtually modeling real, physical processes. If I model a hurricane with a computer nothing gets wet. If I model a hurricane with giant fans and sprinklers then things do get wet and, if I'm able to achieve a certain level of fidelity with my giant fans and sprinklers then whether or not i've made a hurricane is a rather arbitrary distinction as your living room is several blocks from where it was yesterday regardless of whether it was put there by a real hurricane or a mere model.

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    • “digitally modeled a brain such that the model responds to its inputs as a brain does”

      If in responding to its inputs it experiences consciousness (=lights are on, experiences senses, perceives qualia), then you’ve built a brain. If your model simulates all the processing of a but does not have these then you have what’s fairly called a simulation of a brain. You can assert there is no such thing but good luck getting me to believe you.

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    • what is wrong with saying if if you model a hurricane it wets your pants then you have a hurrican but right now ur pants dry yeah

    • If someone digitally modelled a nuclear reactor, would any energy be produced?

      No, because the simulation is actually missing an important aspect, namely the causal part that exists with the physical material but not in the simulation. It’s actually that it’s missing these components that makes it a simulation and not the real thing. But for that you need the physical material.

      So why would it be different for the brain? If nuclear energy can’t arise from abstract relationships, why would consciousness or anything else?

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    • And then the argument about Consciousness becomes whether it is strictly and completely necessary for the input to Output process.

      There's also the question of input output range.

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  • That's the entire question, isn't it? IF you model a mind, have you just modeled it or actually built it?