What Really Causes Consciousness? AI, Alien & Group Consciousness - Eric Schwitzgebel
Eric Schwitzgebel is a philosopher focusing on the philosophy of mind and moral psychology.
Neuroscientists often suggest that consciousness arises through information processing in the brain. But what prevents us from attributing consciousness to other kinds of information-processing systems, like nations or AI? What truly causes consciousness and what is its place in the universe?
In this podcast, expect to explore topics such as consciousness in collectives like nations, what neuroscientists believe causes consciousness, metaphysical theories of consciousness, why we should expect any true theory of consciousness to be strange, whether AI could be conscious, and more.
00:00 Could the USA be conscious?
07:23 Is it the speed of information processing that causes consciousness?
10:58 Cognition vs Consciousness
16:23 Will the Hard-Problem of Consciousness Ever Be Solved?
22:14 Are Debates About Consciousness Useful? 27:23 The Future of AI Consciousness
27:29 AI and Non-Human Consciousness
31:14 Consciousness vs. Self-Consciousness
Find Eric:
-Most recent book: The Weirdness of the World
-Eric's blog: http://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/