ray@BOEING.COM.UUCP (02/04/87)
I've been reading the discussion of consciousness with interest, because I DO consider such philosophical inquiry to be relevant to AI. Philosophical issues must be addressed if we are serious about building "intelligent" systems. Lately, though, several people, either explicitly or by expressing impatience with the subject, have implied that they consider consciousness irrelevant to AI. Does this reflect a belief that consciousness is irrelevant to "natural" intelligence as well? What is the explanation for the observation that "intelligent behavior" and consciousness seem to occur together? Can an entity "behave intelligently" without being conscious? Can an entity be conscious without being "intelligent"? Is consciousness required in order to have "intelligent behavior" or is it a side-effect? What are some examples? Counter-examples? Even prior to some definitive answer to "The Mind-Body Problem", I believe we should try to understand the nature of the relationship between consciousness and "intelligent behavior", justify the conclusion that there is no relationship, or lower our expectations (and proclamations) considerably. I'd like to see some forum for these discussions kept available, whether or not it's the AILIST.