Consciousness, an unsolved mystery
Few things in life are more mysterious than consciousness. Humans have consciousness but animals, plants and even micro organisms as well. Philosopher and mathematician René Descartes described consciousness with this historic oneliner:”Cogito, ergo sum” or in plain English “I think, therefore I am”
All living organisms that move around on this planet have consciousness. Living creatures are in one way or another, based on physical impulses and memory, emotionally aware of its environment. They are able to draw conclusions and make decisions primarily contributing to their survival. This comes with awareness with the basic choice between good and evil, the foundation of religion.
Different from computers, biological beings can make free will decisions and show behavior based on emotions that are not necessarily logic. Especially humans can feel and express emotions. Humans and also many animals are able to make logic or illogic decisions based on physical impulses in combination with personal emotions.
But what is the driving force behind consciousness? We know it is far more than piling up knowledge.
Consciousness is the ability to deliberately do something with knowledge in combination with emotional feelings in a non pre determined way. The name artificial intelligence is false as it is no real intelligence since the emotional component is missing.
Computers with AI software have no emotional awareness at all.
Humans and many animals experience awareness based on what they see, feel or hear. Further they possess a database of experiences and knowledge. The ultimate result is always unpredictable.
Continuously growing AI databases do not create emotional awareness. AI systems will never experience joy, happiness, sadness or anger.
Human consciousness goes far beyond the logic of Artificial Intelligence.
That makes AI controversial. Particularly in court.
An AI judge will produce the verdict without any personal feelings badly needed. As we know, in many court cases judge’s personal feelings contribute often in a decisive way to the verdict.
This can lead to an entirely different outcome compared to an AI verdict. The feeling of a human Judge differs from person to person and is not based on jurisprudence only. The Judge can rule against all logic outcomes. AI is based on knowledge about the law and jurisprudence only.
I asked ChatGPT to help me out but as expected without usable results. Chat GPT is way from sophisticated. It’s funny and admits its limitations.
This is what ChatGPT said: “As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, generating true consciousness in AI, sometimes referred to as “artificial general intelligence” or AGI, remains a significant challenge and a topic of philosophical and scientific debate. Consciousness is a complex and not fully understood phenomenon, and there is no consensus on how it arises in the human brain.
AI systems like the one you’re currently interacting with (GPT-3.5) are examples of narrow or weak AI. They can perform specific tasks and mimic human-like understanding to some extent, but they do not possess consciousness or self-awareness. They operate based on algorithms and data patterns and do not have subjective experiences or emotions.
Efforts are being made in the field of AI and neuroscience to better understand the nature of consciousness and potentially replicate it in artificial systems, but we are not there yet. Some researchers believe that it might be possible to create AI systems with something akin to consciousness in the future, while others argue that consciousness may be a fundamentally different phenomenon that cannot be replicated in machines”
I concur with the ones who believe that a machine never can develop something like consciousness.
We are talking about the twilight zone between paranormal and 3D material universe we live in. This is something science can’t cope with. At the moment. Currently science operates in many fields as a plumber trying to fix a problem without having the right tools.
Consciousness is some kind of unexplained energy. It is our joy, fear, anger, love and hatred. Add to that knowledge and experience.
Consciousness is the immortal power that, I am convinced, survives the death of our physical body. Physics learns that energy never gets lost. No one can take our awareness away.
Another example of consciousness is that no person can experience someone else’s mind. Humans in the same room have all a difference experience of reality at the same time.
It is also believed that all we do, say and think is not only stored in our brain but also in our soul and somewhere in the cosmos. Later on it is part of the reconciliation process no living being can escape. That makes life on earth a very serious matter. Think before you act because its highly likely that the stored information will be brought into account sooner or later. Sometimes during our life on earth but also beyond.
The energy of our soul or consciousness carries the good and bad things we do on earth into the afterlife. The saw and reap principle. Material life would be useless without this principle.
A computer has no after life other than ending up as garbage.
With the school of life on Earth humans have something to invest in. Suicide is nowadays a popular way to escape the school of life. Bear in mind that this can have serious consequences.
The outlook to an afterlife gives us responsibility and hope.
Scientists can’t prove anything that goes beyond our 3 D virtual reality.
Science on this planet is trapped in a material virtual prison. Vision about the overall reality is disabled. So many things are not understood. As we have a way to go, quantum physics might open some doors.
As long as this incapability goes on, mankind remains unable to solve and explain most fundamentals as the origin of the cosmos and life itself.