Machines can be conscious

would agree that yes, categorically, a machine could be conscious. But is it really that simple? I

My own theory of consciousness is a state of awareness of self. It has been said that this awareness stems from arousal. Consciousness, to me, is entirely internal. We experience the external world, but only through our senses. Dehaene and Naccache (2001) explain that neuroscience is beginning to investigate and understand the "neural underpinnings of consciousness." Thus, consciousness is something that we experience via our own bodies. However, there is an implied separation between experience and consciousness. Animals and plants also have mechanisms for interacting with the world, but they do not appear to have the same neural underpinnings that them to interpret the world with the same awareness that humans have. We, however, not only experience the external world, but we are aware of that experience.

Consciousness refers to an individual’s self-awareness, both internally and external stimulus which include your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and environment. Your consciousness can constantly change from one conscious to another. The constant change in consciousness can also be referred to as “stream of conscious”. Awareness- its mechanism and function has

Consider artificial intelligence. There are enormously erudite and complex debates about whether an AI can become conscious, and the dangers that might arise from that consciousness. These individuals either ignore the question of what consciousness is, or founder on the attempt to find a definition. (“Being able to produce a narrative about what one is doing while doing it” is perhaps as good a definition as any.)

Consciousness is the outcome of billions of years of natural selection and randomized occurrences that gave us life and the ability to be self sustaining, self controlling and self repairing. In terms of evolution we did not start with possessing a consciousness, in fact we developed one in order to became the humans we are today. What if in fact, robotic creation is the same, they are on their own evolutionary track of improvement and progression until a conscious state is achieved. In this paper I will argue there is no true opposing argument. I will highlight that there is a possibility for the garage built robot, Hal to have become a conscious entity because a machine being conscious does not contradict any

However, if humans themselves are unaware of what makes them humans, then it is impossible to artificially create consciousness in a machine or artificial life (Knipfer). That is quite unfortunate for Data, however, the creature seems to be conscious in the sense that he has subjective experiences about nature and society. Thirdly, if the creature is in fact a person in the moral sense, he must be self-aware. Self-awareness being that the creature is aware of its own state as well as external states.

The term consciousness refers to "your individual awareness of your unique thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and environment” (Kendra Cherry, http://psychology.about.com). Our unconscious contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are well below the surface of awareness but that nevertheless have a great influence on behavior.

The chapter states that if animals are conscious, their conscious level probably varies from the simplest feelings to thinking about the common problems they can face, and ways to avoid it.

William Wundt (late 1880 's) had subjects report contents of consciousness while working, falling asleep, and sitting still.

Reading on the article “Will We Ever Understand Consciousness?” Scientists & Philosophers Debate was very intriguing. It imposes that consciousness is such an unbelievable magnesium and how unique the brain works due to the fact of how it give rise to fundamental action to the outside world and how separate it is from our bodies, minds, and souls. It states that the more we use our brains to think (known as consciousness), the more millions of neurons interact with each other to make sense of how put things together in the reality world; but the interesting part is that the mind itself is fundamentally incapable of comprehending itself, no matter how much scientist studies the brain. As I continue to read, it also go into details about self-awareness, and the brain activity of coma patients due to traumatic brain injury. The interesting fact is that how drugs or prescription medications can have such side effects to improve and disprove of one’s unconsciousness; like giving the prescription drug to treat Parkinson Disease also treat a person that has lost conscious, as well as knowing that we all experience unconsciousness every day, due to sleep. It also states that during sleep the neurons of the brain activity communication is much more localized and less complex during sleeping than during the times that we are awake because of

Consciousness is the way beings have their own personal experiences in their minds. In other words, how they experience every day situations in their own personal view or perspective. Ned Block (1995) explains that “phenomenal consciousness is experience; what makes a state phenomenally conscious is that there is something ‘it is like’ to be in that state.” Susan Blackmore (2012) said that consciousness was subjective; meaning consciousness is personal and cannot be shared with anyone else. Study and research on consciousness has advanced and increased in the past years. The Laboratory of Nuero Imaging states that humans have at least 70,000 thoughts racing through their heads on a normal day. These thoughts make up a part of our consciousness; our ongoing dose of qualia, or private internal experiences. It is obvious that humans have consciousness, but do other organisms share this capability? One experiment compared the cognitive ability of humans and great apes at the early stages of their development. Mammals, like apes and monkeys, do have consciousness based on anecdotal evidence, research, and experiments.

The nature of human consciousness is ever debatable, questionable and somewhat unexplainable. We continuously make conscious decisions without recognition for how we as a species are capable of doing so, it is understood by materialistic science that our consciousness is a product of our brain activity and nothing more however there is an abundance of research that suggests this may not be the case and our conscious mind extends into our environment ultimately connecting us to

Even when it is defined it has no physical meaning involved. I am led to believe consciousness is not physical. For example is it physical when one knows right from wrong? Knowing happens in the mind, the mind is a part of one’s conscious. Therefore inferring knowing right from wrong is a conscious state of mind. When someone goes into the store and steals no matter the reason why, the action attaches itself to one’s conscious. The conscious is connected to memory so when someone remembers a bad action it takes a toll on their conscious.

According to DiCarlo, consciousness co-evolved with the development of language. The “co-evolution of language and consciousness provided our ancestors with the newly developed - though gradually acquired - sense of mental abstraction wherein they could now see themselves in relation to the world”(DiCarlo). Since the development of consciousness occurred gradually in humans, it can be safe to assume the same can transpire with artificial intelligence.

In film, Ex Machina, the plot revolves around a robot, Ava, and its ability to pass the Turing Test. More importantly, the film raises the question of whether or not Ava is conscious. I will argue that Ava is conscious. To do this, I will first define and explain what consciousness is. I will then argue that the best metaphysical model to understand and determine consciousness is Chalmer’s type-a materialism. Then, since consciousness can only be physically understood, we can only use behavior type tests to determine if something is conscious. will explain testing methods that allow us to determine whether or not something is conscious. Finally I show that Ava passes these test and must be conscious.