How to Test Whether Consciousness Can Be Revived From Digital Reflections of Consciousness
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Transcript of How to Test Whether Consciousness Can Be Revived From Digital Reflections of Consciousness
An Experiment to Test the Ability of Digitally-Stored Mindfiles to Regenerate the Consciousness from Which It Came
Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D.
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Hypothesis
• Digitally-stored reflections of consciousness will regenerate such consciousness once properly processed with mindware
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Definition of Terms
• Consciousness– A pattern of thinking and
feeling, including perceptions and memories, that is typical of a particular person
• Mindware– Software capable of
tuning its information processing and external interaction patterns to mimic those of an entity that contributed an associated database
Hypothesis needs to be formulated precisely and
variables need to be clearly defined.
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Quantitative + Qualitative
• Qualitative– Two psychologists
separately interview flesh subject for 25 hours over one year
– Two psychologists separately interview cybersubject for 25 hours over one year
• Compare session notes• Agree consciousness is
same with prob.> 80%
• Quantitative
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Testably Defining Consciousness
• Revised Self Consciousness Scale (Scheier & Carver, 1985)
• Private Self-Consciousness Scale (Fenigstein, Scheier & Buss, 1975)
• Others?
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS) Scores Are Testable Measures
• The SCS consists of 17 items. – Private & Public subscale
• 10 Private Items, E.g. "I'm generally attentive to my inner feelings".
• 7 Public Items, e.g, "I'm usually aware of my appearance".
– Likert-type scales from• extremely uncharacteristic
of myself (0) to • extremely characteristic of
myself (4)• Add up for total score.
2007-07-20 [email protected]
SCS Scores Are Repeatable
• SCS is an highly reliable instrument.
• Fenigstein et al. (1975) obtained high reliability coefficients– private self-
consciousness (.79)– public self-
consciousness (.84).
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Testably Stated Hypothesis Dependent Variable
• > 80% Confidence that consciousness is typical of person, based upon:
• Dual, independent qualitative comparisons of 25+25 hours of psychological interviews
• Multiple SCS test results
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Testably Stated Independent Variable
• Operating code whose– initial, – application-specific
database
• Is all mindfiles created by an individual– pursuant to specific
informed consent
• And that creates a mindfile-adjusted version of itself – That runs autonomously
• with those mindfiles
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Testable Mindware Creation Process
Start CandidateMindware
UniqueMindfiles Extract
ConsciousnessSettings
Merge UniqueMindware &
MindfilesAutonomy?Attend to its Needs& Prepare for
Hypothesis Testing
Revise Mindware
Y
N
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Sources of Mindfiles
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Each Mindfile Contains Informed Consent
Consent to be revived as cyber-consciousness Consent to be
downloaded into bio-nano or cellular regenerated substrate
Consent to be spacecast
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Consciousness Immanent Within Mindfile Psychometrics
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Additional Issues & Questions
• Why psychologists?• Why 25 hours x 2?• Automation &
Consistency?• Medical Ethics of the
Experiments?
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Why Psychologists?
• Courts Use Shrinks As Experts to Determine States of Mind– Aware of right & wrong?
• Doctors Use Shrinks To Determine Mental States– Competent to give
informed consent?
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Official [Needed] Psychological Specializations
• Clinical• Counseling• Developmental• Educational• Experimental• Forensic• Health• Human Factors
• Industrial• Neurochemical• Organizational• Physiological• School• Social• [Consciousness]• [Cyber]
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Why 25 Hours x 2
• Precedent Set by Transgender Medicine Standards– Prerequisite for SRS– Supports Legalization– Similar to Cyber-Issues
• Ensures Persistence of Conscious State
• Kind of a Turing Test on Steroids
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Automation & Consistency
• One or both sets of shrinks could be automated
• Most of the talking is done by the patient
• Documentation of sessions digitized
• Final analyses standardized
• Psychology is excellent AI application
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Medical Ethics of the Experiment
• First, do no harm– Flesh pt is not harmed;– How about the cyber pt?
• Intend benefit to pt– Longer life is good
• Respect autonomy– Informed consent
• Act fairly to all pts– First come, first served;– Lottery amongst co-
equals for revival
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Avoiding Harm to the Revived Cyberconscious Patient
• Start with incomplete mindware– Ensure full interactivity &
connectiveness before complete mindware
• First test mindware with made-up mindfiles– Ensure expert
psychological review of each mindware/mindfile merge for consciousness
– Provide QoL Support for cyberconsciousness
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Are Neurons a Necessary Basis for Consciousness?
Neuron growing on carbon nanotube substrate
2007-07-20 [email protected]
Were Feathers A Necessary Basis for Flight?
2007-07-20 [email protected]
On Neurons, Check Back in a Few Decades!