Software Intelligence, Consciousness & Feelings - Computational Theory of Mind & Economics

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Introduction: In this section of the 'Consciousness - Mind Economics & Software Intelligence' series before we proceed to determine the potential answers to the concern whether software intelligence (SI), known as code that directs a computer to perform specific operations,[1] could generate conscious mental results, we find it important to establish the cross-premise tunnel between the claim that mind itself is a thinking machine and as such could be replicated artificially. Advances in artificially created neural networks raise the prospect that the mind itself works as a computational system. This scientific position has been known as the computational theory of mind (‘CTM’). More specifically, in this theory the mind is understood as a ‘software program’ of the brain. According to CTM what distinguishes a mind is not what it is made of but the way in which the brain is organised to have the capacity to experience different things. We argue that the highest level of human experience is his/her ability to have a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Calling the state, compassion we present a short analysis of the causes of the development of this state, which is reasoning or thinking. The theory, however, could attract numerous objections. Here we examine a few possible accusations: the ‘Chinese Room’ argument, the symbol-grounding problem, and the claim that SI is behaviourist on the subject of consciousness. In critiquing the current objections we find that the basic hypothesis that the brain whether constructed artificially or natural remains unchanged. This is to say that any type of a brain is a working ‘software program.’ If evolution is the source for human brain structure, we theorise that technology is the source of artificially generated brain structure, whereas computation is the mechanism by which the neural nets, whether they are natural or artificial, interact as an outcome of their stimulation to produce dazzling array of thought. This in turn would lead to states of passion and conscious mental states.

Computational theory of mind: During the last decade or so we have witnessed the rapid growth of a truly revolutionary paradigm for comprehending the mind work which is the computational theory of mind (‘CTM’). A great number of neuroscientists and software intelligence (SI) professionals have been actively involved in the study of the mind from this particular perspective. CTM corresponds to a large family of views rather than a unique theory thus we prefer to see it as a working assumption. We focus on its one application, which is the view that cognitive processes including conscious states are computations over mental representations. Most cognitive scientists agree that knowledge in the mind consists of mental representations which are: rules, concepts, images, and analogies. It has been proposed that human beings have mental procedures that operate on mental representations to produce thought and action and this particular process has been defined as computation. Some researchers even believe that CTM perceives the mind as a computer that is able to provide an account of the intentionality of mental states. Many others theorise, however, that aspect of the brain that is most likely to be exempt from the CTM assumption is its ability to generate consciousness states understood as the capacity to experience things. We disagree. To produce software intelligence that is conscious is to create an artificial mind that would feel deeply evocative experiences, such as the redness of the sun, the coldness of the color white, the sweetness of orang and the pain of the world that suffers injustice. That is to create a mind that perceives feelings. We suggest that this is achievable and propose a new model for a conscious system.

A new model for a conscious system: The process of feeling is an extremely important focus for consciousness research because it is an avenue for exploring awareness, emotion, and the essence of subjectivity. Essentially, feeling is a very strong emotion about a person or thing, and can cause pleasurable experiences or just the opposite state, which is pain. The purpose of this section is to help bridge feeling/emotions research and consciousness studies while suggesting that to construct a new model for an artificially conscious system is to argue for this new system to be emotional. It is difficult to think about human consciousness understood as a vivid experience without pondering the capacity of a human being to experience both happy and painful states. We propose a view why this should be the case. Without experiencing pain or hapiness one would not be conscious. It is through reasoning and further reflection on the object of human being’s thought that this object increases or decreases in value and that one becomes emotional about it or not. Hence, here reason serves emotions and leads to evocative conscious experiences. This brings us back to the most basic question, which is about whether software intelligence could produce their own, and independent of human intervention thought. Provided that the system is capable of this type of conduct it would also have the capacity for states of feelings and what follows consciousness.

TBC