Half a mouse brain simulated on a supercomputer

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: bobsmith1492

Originally posted by: NanoStuff

Originally posted by: Eli
even though it isn't "alive".. it functions the same way.

If it functions the same way, what makes you presume it isn't alive in the same way?

You're right though, it's probably not alive to any distinguishable degree, it doesn't have the necessary structure. If it did however, it would be.

You have to be able to reproduce yourself to be considered alive, hence a thinking computer would not be.

So an infertile person is not alive?

No, they as a species are able to reproduce. They have the capability, it just isn't working right in that particular individual.

What if you had a factory that made industrial robots? You make the industrial robots with the same kind of robot you're producing. Are those robots alive?

That's not the only condition... bleeshers, bio was back in high school - don't strain my memory!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life

But then again, those traits of life are pretty much arbitrarily defined by those in the bio field who felt what life should mean.
It's all a matter of semantics.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: NanoStuff

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
as a computer engineer I find it to be extremely far fetched to think a computer will be emotional, dream, lust, or do any other human (living thing) activity.

For a computer engineer you're extremely short sighted. The few computer engineers I've talked to understood that the brain is a physical system like any other well within the bounds of a classical touring machine. As miraculous as your 'consciousness' may seem, it's just that.

I'm not shortsighted, just realistic. I want this just as bad as anyone else because it would be a marvelous jump in technology, but we can't even explain what conciousness is, so how could we duplicate it? That's why I said when we can explain conciousness, then maybe I'll jump on the bandwagon. Until then, however, we have no chance of duplicating a brain to any feasible extent.

I design embedded systems and I realize the brain interacts with itself to get things done like any man-made system, but it definitely doesn't have an "instruction set" or priority level to make rational/irrational judgements. It only knows how to do what I tell it to do, and that goes for every man-made computer system ever created. Think about what I'm saying before you hang me out to dry because I am not interested in anything but advancement.

 

[NanoStuff]

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
but we can't even explain what conciousness is, so how could we duplicate it?

We can't explain what gravity, matter, even energy, is. We can duplicate it just fine however. If it can be measured it can be duplicated. The brain would require lots of 'measuring' but it only comes down to that. It's only conscious from our own point of view, when it comes to figuring out the workings of a system from the outside it makes no difference whether that system is conscious or not, simulating it would be done the same way.

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
it definitely doesn't have an "instruction set" or priority level to make rational/irrational judgements

It does, the laws of physics are that instruction set and they dictate what the brain will do. No different than trying to figure out where the water will splash when a rock falls into it. There's no fairy magic involved in either case, it's just physics and lots of it.

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
It only knows how to do what I tell it to do

It's a lovely illusion isn't it? You don't and cannot tell it to do anything, you cannot control the system, the system is you. The brain tells you what to do, not the other way around.

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
and that goes for every man-made computer system ever created.

No it doesn't. Now I'm starting to doubt your claims of computer engineering. There are evolving FPGA systems, and odds your power grid is controlled by software created through genetic algorithms.