Bugmaster comments on GAZP vs. GLUT - Less Wrong

33 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 07 April 2008 01:51AM

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Comment author: Bugmaster 14 February 2012 06:26:14PM 0 points [-]

there is no reason it had to wait for the triggering event to have it; the data structures associated with that experience already existed inside the GLUT's mind prior to the event, in a way that isn't true for a system synthesizing new internal states that trigger/represent conscious experience.

IMO that's an implementation detail. Th GLUT doesn't need to synthesize new internal states because it already contains all possible states. Synthesizing new internal states is an optimization that our non-GLUT brains (and computers) use in order to get around the space requirements (as well as our lack of time-traveling capabilities).

That is in general the conclusion I come to about most conscious/not-conscious distinctions, which mostly leads me to conclude that it's a wrong question.

Yeah, consciousness is probably just a philosophical red herring, as far as I understand...

Comment author: TheOtherDave 15 February 2012 01:30:10AM 0 points [-]

IMO that's an implementation detail.

Yeah, I don't exactly disagree (though admittedly, I also think intuitions about whether implementation details matter aren't terribly trustworthy when we're talking about a proposed design that cannot conceivably work in practice). Mostly, I think what I'm talking about here is my poorly grounded intuitions, rather than about an actual thing in the world. Still, it's sometimes useful to get clear about what my poorly grounded intuitions are, if only so I can get better at recognizing when they distort my perceptions or expectations.

Comment author: Bugmaster 15 February 2012 02:15:24AM 0 points [-]

though admittedly, I also think intuitions about whether implementation details matter aren't terribly trustworthy when we're talking about a proposed design that cannot conceivably work in practice

Yeah, the whole GLUT scenario is really pretty silly to begin with, so I don't exactly disagree (as you'd say) . Perhaps the main lesson from here is that it's rather difficult, if not impossible, to draw useful conclusions from silly scenarios.

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