What is the purpose of sentience?

[Vendicar]

Are insects such as moths and crickets sentient?

Hold on... Let me ask one...

...

Nope.


On the other hand, my computer here is very self aware. It know exactly where it puts every piece of information.

However, it isn't conscious, or aware that it is aware. Neither is it aware of it's surroundings. Hence it isn't sentient.

 

[Vendicar]

Is the acoustic startle response a sign of sentience

Since insects have it and have no capacity for introspection and no consciousness the answer would have to be that it is not a sign of sentience.

 

[-Job-]

The concept of the Turing Test is relevant to this discussion.

Supposing that a computer can pass the Turing Test (and there's no evidence that a computer can't) then the behavior of a human can be successfully modeled and reproduced without sentience, to an arbitrary degree, through which we can argue that there is an evolutionary path that leads to non-sentient human-like beings.

Possibly the Anthropic Principle also applies and yet i don't see why non-sentient, intelligent beings would not at some point also debate the concept of sentience, as we are.

 

[Vendicar]

The concept of the [/PLAIN]
Supposing that a computer can pass the Turing Test (and there's no evidence that a computer can't) then the behavior of a human can be successfully modeled and reproduced without sentience,...

What makes you think that sentience can't be programmed?

On the other hand what makes you think that it can be emulated to the point that Turing can be passed without actually producing sentience?

The case for programming sentience is far stronger.

 

[GladScientist]

Hold on... Let me ask one...

...

Nope.


On the other hand, my computer here is very self aware. It know exactly where it puts every piece of information.

However, it isn't conscious, or aware that it is aware. Neither is it aware of it's surroundings. Hence it isn't sentient.

I wouldn't call those things requirements for being sentient. Obviously, the reason that my computer isn't aware of its surroundings is because it doesn't have any sensory input from the outside world. What about the Wii? It's made to be able to sense things outside of its own vessel. If it could sense everything outside of itself, would that make it sentient? I say no. As Ryan puts it, the ability to feel, make decisions, think, etc etc etc are all things that a sufficiently advanced machine could do, without being at all aware of itself.

 

[-Job-]

On the other hand, my computer here is very self aware. It know exactly where it puts every piece of information.

However, it isn't conscious, or aware that it is aware. Neither is it aware of it's surroundings. Hence it isn't sentient.

Google Goggles, an app for mobile devices, can use the phone's camera, perform image recognition, identify a Sudoku instance in the image (e.g. in your newspaper on your table) and solve it for you - all of this, in principle, without being sentient.

Have you seen the movie, The Terminator 2? (yes I'm quoting Terminator 2) In your opinion, is the terminator sentient?

 

[Vendicar]

I wouldn't call those things requirements for being sentient. Obviously, the reason that my computer isn't aware of its surroundings is because it doesn't have any sensory input from the outside world. What about the Wii? It's made to be able to sense things outside of its own vessel. If it could sense everything outside of itself, would that make it sentient? I say no. As Ryan puts it, the ability to feel, make decisions, think, etc etc etc are all things that a sufficiently advanced machine could do, without being at all aware of itself.

And none of which are equivalent to sentience, although they are closely related.

If you are defining sentience as simply consciousness then you have a problem because there is no active definition of consciousness.

But the question wasn't about consciousness, but sentience.

Specifically "what is the purpose of sentience." and that has been answered. It is an evolutionary path to the development of high level strategies needed to compete in an environment dominated by environmental noise.

 

[Vendicar]

identify a Sudoku instance in the image (e.g. on in your newspaper on your table) and solve it for you

Wake me when the telephone is aware of what it is doing.

Have you seen the movie, The Terminator 2 (yes I'm quoting Terminator 2)? In your opinion, is the terminator sentient?

Your question is really asking me of I think a machine can be sentient. It most certainly can be but without the ability to sense and respond to the world around it, you begin to run into the limits of what is commonly known as sentience.

 

[-Job-]

Your question is really asking me of I think a machine can be sentient. It most certainly can be but without the ability to sense and respond to the world around it, you begin to run into the limits of what is commonly known as sentience.

The discussion is focused on the utility of sentience. If Goggles can beat me at Sudoku and the non-sentient T2 can terminate me, then evolutionarily speaking sentience is not a trait that would be selected for because it's either not useful or unnecessary. Hence, why are we sentient to begin with?

 

[GladScientist]

And none of which are equivalent to sentience, although they are closely related.

If you are defining sentience as simply consciousness then you have a problem because there is no active definition of consciousness.

But the question wasn't about consciousness, but sentience.

Specifically "what is the purpose of sentience." and that has been answered. It is an evolutionary path to the development of high level strategies needed to compete in an environment dominated by environmental noise.

What is the difference between consciousness and sentience? I think that consciousness is just sentience, including other things (such as actually being awake and alert).

As for sentience, we make our decisions before we are actually aware of them. So how can it possibly used for strategy/decision making?

 

[Vendicar]

As for sentience, we make our decisions before we are actually aware of them.

Largely true, but as an absolute truth it remains supposition, and even if true doesn't alter the fact that feedback from the conscious can alter the next decision to be made.

I look at a clock. Note that it is 12:00 and become hungry as a result.

Conscious influence of the subconscious?

 

[D H]

Thread locked pending moderation.