Consider An Objection To Computer Consciousness

You have written a paper that at least sort-of supported the idea of computer consciousness or computer minds.  Now I would like you to consider some arguments against the idea that computers could someday have minds

You could do Jaki which requires you to analyze and evaluate a (weak) argument against computer consciousness.

Or Azarian which requires you to analyze and evaluate another (weak) argument against computer consciousness.

Or you could follow one or more of the links below, and find at least one argument against computer minds. (Let me know about any broken links.)

If you follow one of the below links your chosen argument (or arguments), do all of the following.

1. Take the time to get this argument completely clear in your own mind.
2. Identify the factual claims upon which this argument is based
3. Try to understand the abstract logic that is supposed to make the argument work.
4. Figure out whether or not all the factual claims upon which this argument is based are provably true.
5. Figure out whether or not all the abstract logic upon which this argument is based is actually good logic.
6. If the factual claims are provably true, and the logic really is good logic, write a paper according to Plan B below.
7. If the factual claims are not provably true, or the logic really is not good logic, write a paper according to Plan A below.

1. Clearly and completely explain your chosen opposing argument.
2. If it failed factually, clearly and completely explain how it failed factually.
3. If it failed logically, clearly and completely explain what's wrong with the abstract logic upon which this argument is based.
4. Make any other comments that seem relevant to the overall logic of this argument.

1. Clearly and completely explain your chosen opposing argument.
2. Clearly and completely explain the abstract logical primciple upon which this argument is based.
3. Explain what you thought about while analyzing this argument.
4. Make any other comments that seem relevant to the overall logic of this argument.
5. THEN clearly and completely explain what was wrong with YOUR original argument.
6. If your original argument failed factually, clearly and completely explain how it failed factually.
7. If your original argument failed logically, clearly and completely explain what was wrong with the abstract logic upon which it was based.
8. Make any other comments that seem relevant to the overall logic of your original argument.

Links to pages with arguments against computer consciousness

Three Arguments Against Computers Being Conscious

Why Minds Are Not Like Computers

Conscious computers are a delusion

The Lucas-Penrose Argument about Gödel's Theorem

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Other (possibly broken) links that may or may not be helpful.

6-05 Computers can never have a conscious experience or Extended Article

Are Computer Games Really Conscious? | Hare Krishna Community

fu_computerjaki.htm

ot_chineseroom.htm

As a hint, you might think about what your challenger is also unable to describe.

Link Junkyard

Here's Why Robots Will Never Achieve Consciousness
A neuroscientist explains why artificially intelligent robots will never have consciousness like humans

The Problem of Animal Consciousness
6-05 Computers can never have a conscious experience.
Are Computer Games Really Conscious? | Hare Krishna Community

Here are some more arguments for computer consciousness. (At least, I think these pages have such arguments.)
Scott H Young » Consciousness Explained
Consciousness Is Finite (But I Don't Mind)
The Cambridge handbook of consciousness - Google Books

Reinventing humanity: The future of human-machine ... - Kurzweil AI

Beyond AI: Creating the Conscience of the Machine

What are some cogent critiques of Ray Kurzweil's views? - Quora

More on animal consciousness or http://members.multimania.nl/dierbewust/culture.html

An interesting essay that might be taken either way:
The Creation of I's—Consciousness, Identity, Subjectivity, Solipsism, Brain

https://www.businessinsider.com/penrose-says-your-brain-isnt-a-computer-2016-6

If you're interested in Roger Penrose's argument against computer consciousness, see computerpenrose.htm

Finally, here's a very, very technical (and occasionally silly) overview of the whole issue In Defence of Strong AI: Semantics from Syntax

And remember, if you ignore the argument for computer consciousness, you will get zero for the assignment.

Here's two possible followups:

Computers and Consciousness - this is the basic question.

Computers and Quantum Consciousness - this deals with Roger Penrose's objection to computer consciousness.

Scientific American: What is Consciousness?

Additional Links

(Added 10/12/20) Be careful how you read these articles. None of them should be taken as authoritative. Any of them could be wrong. Some of them are nonsense.

https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2009/01/13/consciousness-explained/

https://futurism.com/new-find-may-explain-how-the-brain-creates-consciousness/

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/computers-designed-to-mimic-human-brains-may-achieve-truly-intelligent-ai/

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/06/computer-chip-mimics-human-brain-light-beams-neurons

https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/01/ibm-is-teaching-ai-to-behave-more-like-the-human-brain/

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/163051-simulating-1-second-of-human-brain-activity-takes-82944-processors

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/531146/what-it-will-take-for-computers-to-be-conscious/

https://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/imaging/can-machines-be-conscious

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/heres-why-robots-will-never-achieve-consciousness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=43&v=j_OPQgPIdKg

https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Searle#ref296703

https://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/a-neuroscientist-explains-why-artificially-intelligent-robots-will-never-have-consciousness-like-humans/

https://krishna.org/are-computer-games-really-conscious/

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