Computers And Consciousness

3 Pages 792 Words

Computers and Consciousness
Can a computer have a mind? This question has been debated upon for decades by philosophers, mathematicians, physicists’ etc. Alan Turing, a mathematician, said that if we cannot distinguish between the answers a computer gives to questions and the answers a human being gives, then the compute has a mind. But I stand at a different view. In the course of my paper I will discuss the various reasons I believe that computers are not conscious in the same way a human mind is conscious.
To come to such a conclusion, as to whether or not computers are conscious the same way as a human mind, what we need to understand first is what exactly does it mean to be “conscious”. To be conscious means that one is aware of their existence, possesses feelings and has thoughts of their own.
Computers were invented by human beings, humans who are not perfect and not all knowing. Computers are programmed by humans, and thus they don’t have the awareness of their own existence, they don’t have feelings and they are programmed to think the way their programmer has designed them to think. Computers lack the free will to think and make decisions by themselves, they do what they are programmed to do.
Processing speed is irrelevant to what’s most important in human cognition. Computers have fabulous calculation power, bottomless memory, endless patience and stamina, but they lack consciousness and emotion. While technology offers “help” and solutions too it is no substitute for the human mind.
In the 18th century, philosopher David Hume said, “All morality in the end is rooted in emotional response.” Our sensibilities, ethical and aesthetics make us human and distinguish us from computers.
Computers do not have and therefore cannot adopt points of views. They do not have feelings. No amount of processing speed or memory storage capacity can surmount that obstacle. A computer’s response to a question w...