Consciousness is “only” a complex mix of real and virtual thoughts – basically, billions of neurons firing in a controlled way. With enough memory and processing power, we will get that into a machine one day.

But would it then have consciousness? I don’t think so, because it won’t have the evolutionary stresses that we have and these are key to how we use those neurons…unless someone adds those evolutionary stresses to the software.

I cannot imagine how to do this, but the software would need to engender an instruction to execute a choice based on the CPU’s own decision – and “digi-self” is born (see, HAL9000 in 2001).

So the CPU ends up being like one of us, but with no body. And I meet these guys every day on DM and CTF; no visible body but a representation of their intelligence in cyberspace (and I use the term intelligence loosely).

But Matrix is awesome. You hopefully understand I only mean the first part!

So, what if a developer produces something. It will most likely be a projection of some sort – a projection of his inner world (or whatever you’d like to call it – consciousness? – I dunno). And even though it might not be too obvious (and most likely not to himself) there is some auto-biographical aspect in that piece of work.

So in some sense, that guy is in the product – he made it, and ideally he made his product in a way, in which the system of the game is able to respond in a similar way as he would himself.
Now – if someone’d go and play that game, what they’d do at the same time is actively put input into the system, taken into account that there is a system (so accepting that a system exists), which ultimately provides the acceptance of the existence of the developer in the first place?

Might be a bit, well, mindfuck? Dunno
Just some thoughts on this,
- electro

But what form thought? Do lower forms of life think? Do they realize they think? And do they recognize their own existence?

[THESE, and other questions, NEXT TIME!! on... "AS THE ZOMBIE TURNS!" ]

Okay… enough silliness. It’s valid, because by questioning our own existence, we validate said existence.

We crave escapism. We seek diversion, even if our lives are as peachy-keen and perfect as possible, we still seek more–see those spoiled rich brats who end up into drugs and lawbreaking, despite having EVERYTHING handed to them on a silver platter. The poor kid at his old P4 that’s barely able to run HL2 at 640×480, as he plays every mod and release over and over again.

Perhaps it’s a matter of perspective.

I work for a major home-improvement big-box store, and lately I think it “(b)Lowe’s” (cough, cough), for many reasons. However, I have to remind myself that, especially now in these troubled economic times, I’m damned lucky to even be working and having an income sufficient to have this speedy Internet connection, the wherewithal to build a rig that makes HL2 run like reality, and the ability to sit here and cogitate upon the consciousness of humankind.

I immerse quite well into games, especially if they are good ones. Suspension of disbelief is important, and if the game is done well, the suspension is easy–just like with movies: if a movie screws up the little details, it makes that suspension impossible, and ruins the experience. And the same applies to a game: if it doesn’t *seem* real, then the nitpicking starts.

Of course, human imagination is key to this: if it weren’t for that, we’d NEVER enjoy games like DOOM or Duke Nukem 3D–anyone remember the flying octopus brains?? The first time I encountered them, that night I dreamt they were coming down out of the ceiling attacking–woke the wife up to get her out of the way!! It’s that sort of imagination that makes things like movies, TV, and games work.

Will we humans ever be able to move our consciousnesses into machines/networks/games/movies/etc?? Not in our lifetimes, I think; and given how things are going for humans right now, I don’t think we’ll get there for a very very long time, if ever. It’s fun to think about; and I think the whole concept comes from our tendency to try to “mystify” our lives and make them “better” than those of the mere animals, and then put some sort of “spirituality” into our lives to assure us that when we die we’ll live on–I’m sure out of sheer fear of our demises.

So, in the meanwhile, we use our quite capable imaginations, and suspend disbelief, and play our games, and delve deep into the mythos created for our enjoyment.

In regards to transplanting human consciousness, it should be possible one day to have our minds connected to virtual worlds, since there are already ways (though primitive) to artificially input some stimuli into the mind. To put consciousness into a non-brain form may just be too difficult at the moment though.