On: Consciousness: The last 50 years (and the next)

[_Schizotypy]

Don't some rocks contain silicon, so really pure and doped rocks make a computer.

[adrianN → _Schizotypy]

That's the point. While the explanation might be technically correct, it is in no way precise enough to call it understanding.

[trevyn → _Schizotypy]

Exactly, and even if nobody has ever built it or written a formal proof that it would work, you can still imagine how it would work and prove it to your own mind.

(This would work for a purely mechanical computer made out of rocks, too.)

Personally, with enough knowledge about how modern AI works, and a reasonable understanding of the neuroscience literature, I feel there is no fundamental mystery to consciousness, only awe at the level of complexity harnessed.