Week Three Lecture: Philosophy From the Inside Out

Review of Previous Weeks

Week One: Descartes

• Descartes started by doubting everything.
• Concluded that he is a thinking thing—an undeniable certainty.
• Offers a seed of certainty, but not much more.

Week Two: Bostrom

• Uncertainty about mind-independent reality.
• Hypothesis: Likely a computer simulation.
• Leaves us uncertain about our reality and identity.

Week Three: Consciousness and Artificial Intelligence

Nature of Consciousness

• Consciousness is chaotic with thoughts, experiences, feelings, sounds, colors, etc.

AI vs. Human Consciousness

• Examination of AI and differences from human minds.
• Rising popularity and sophistication of AI like ChatGPT.

History and Anxiety About AI

• Historical concerns about machines becoming human-like.
• Examples in science fiction: Butler's 1872 novel, "Blade Runner," "Battlestar Galactica."

Weak vs. Strong AI

• Weak AI: Machines like calculators, conventional computers.
• Strong AI: Machines simulating human consciousness (e.g., ChatGPT).

The Turing Test

• A machine fools a human into believing it's human.
• If successful, deemed as strong AI.

Searle's Chinese Room Thought Experiment

• John Searle's experiment explores whether machines can understand language.
• Setup: Person inside a room manipulates Chinese symbols based on instructions.
• Question: Does this person understand Chinese?
• Conclusion: No actual understanding, just symbol manipulation.

Implications for AI

• ChatGPT can simulate dialogue but lacks consciousness.
• Machines identify and reproduce patterns, not meanings.
• Humans experience semantic content and emotional context.

Searle's Views on AI and Reality

• Strong AI (machine consciousness) deemed impossible by Searle.
• Contrasts Bostrom's view of a simulated reality.
• Real-world experiences are genuine.

Personal Consciousness

• Human consciousness is chaotic but rich.
• Individuals are authorities on their own experiences.
• Importance of experiential authority despite personal or social biases.

Assignments

• Due at the end of the week.
• Check provided videos and instructions.
• Links available in announcements and content page.

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• Reminder: You are the authority on your experiences. Take care of yourselves.