This reminds me of something. According to Freeman Dyson, three things are necessary for consciousness: operational units (such as neurons), randomness, and self-influence ability. Humans have all three of these. Our neurons can either send an electrical signal, or not. At any time, one of our 100 billion neurons will be the next neuron to 'flip' from sending a signal to not, or vice versa, which creates a 'superposition' (at least according to Dyson it does, I don't fully understand it). Also, everybody's brains respond differently to different stimuli, due to the randomness of the neuron operations. The self-influence ability comes from neurotransmission, if one neuron 'flips', it could influence other neurons to do the same through neurotransmitters.
This theory means that computers are not conscious – they are completely deterministic, with no random element to them. However, it implies that a lump of radioactive mass possesses consciousness. They have all three components. At any time, one atom in the lump of mass will be the next atom to decay, the time at which the atoms decay is completely random, and particles emitted from one atom can strike other atoms and cause them to decay differently. What this means is that lumps of radioactive mass, such as in a nuclear bomb, could possibly be aware of their surroundings.
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This reminds me of something. According to Freeman Dyson, three things are necessary for consciousness: operational units (such as neurons), randomness, and self-influence ability. Humans have all three of these. Our neurons can either send an electrical signal, or not. At any time, one of our 100 billion neurons will be the next neuron to 'flip' from sending a signal to not, or vice versa, which creates a 'superposition' (at least according to Dyson it does, I don't fully understand it). Also, everybody's brains respond differently to different stimuli, due to the randomness of the neuron operations. The self-influence ability comes from neurotransmission, if one neuron 'flips', it could influence other neurons to do the same through neurotransmitters.
This theory means that computers are not conscious – they are completely deterministic, with no random element to them. However, it implies that a lump of radioactive mass possesses consciousness. They have all three components. At any time, one atom in the lump of mass will be the next atom to decay, the time at which the atoms decay is completely random, and particles emitted from one atom can strike other atoms and cause them to decay differently. What this means is that lumps of radioactive mass, such as in a nuclear bomb, could possibly be aware of their surroundings.
Edit: Why did I post this?