Self-Awareness
From CasGroup
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Furthermore, it includes the concept that one exists as an | Furthermore, it includes the concept that one exists as an | ||
individual, separate from other individuals, with private thoughts. | individual, separate from other individuals, with private thoughts. | ||
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| + | == Can organizations become self-aware? == | ||
| + | |||
| + | Corporations, companies and organizations can become | ||
| + | aware of themselves and their image among other | ||
| + | organizations and the public. A corporation | ||
| + | can be attributed with the full BDI (Belief-Desire-Intention) spectrum of | ||
| + | activities, it can (see [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=can-a-robot-an-insect-or]): | ||
| + | |||
| + | * believe that its profit margin will soon increase | ||
| + | * believe that a certain company is one of its main competitors | ||
| + | * intend to release a new product this January | ||
| + | * intend to adopt a new sales strategy | ||
| + | * want to change its corporate image | ||
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| + | If an organization is treated as an disembodied | ||
| + | agent without physical body, then only those | ||
| + | abstract mental states are used to explain the | ||
| + | behavior which do not involve a body (no pleasure, | ||
| + | pain, feelings or consciousness). | ||
| + | Although corporations and organizations can be aware | ||
| + | of their own image, people do not think that corporations | ||
| + | might be capable of [[Self-Consciousness|self-consciousness]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In principle any organization or society of agents can develop | ||
| + | a form of [[Collective consciousness|collective consciousness]] | ||
| + | if it is complex enough. | ||
== Can computers become self-aware? == | == Can computers become self-aware? == | ||
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their sub-systems. They know how much memory they have left, | their sub-systems. They know how much memory they have left, | ||
they are aware of what's happening on the keybooard, they are | they are aware of what's happening on the keybooard, they are | ||
| - | aware of what's on the monitor. | + | aware of what's on the monitor. They are also conscious |
| + | of some items and information, for instance icons and files, | ||
| + | while others can be considered as "unconscious": | ||
| - | Yet the computer as a whole is not self-aware. There is no | + | * conscious items = information in memory/on desktop |
| + | * unconscious items = information not in memory/on desktop | ||
| + | |||
| + | Yet even if there is an icon of the computer on the desktop, | ||
| + | the computer as a whole is not self-aware. There is no | ||
perception of a self possible, because there is no perception. | perception of a self possible, because there is no perception. | ||
A computer is not embedded in a perceive-reason-action cycle. | A computer is not embedded in a perceive-reason-action cycle. | ||
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distinction between [[Self|self]] and non-self. The second | distinction between [[Self|self]] and non-self. The second | ||
step is a coarse understanding of language and a crude | step is a coarse understanding of language and a crude | ||
| - | perception of individuals in general. | + | perception of individuals in general. A robot |
| + | usually cannot recognize or perceive itself, | ||
| + | if it is not able to understand language. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In animals, information about the system | ||
| + | itself is so important that it is usually | ||
| + | processed and controlled by an own system, | ||
| + | the limbic system and the autonomic nervous | ||
| + | system, or in other words, largely by emotions. | ||
| + | "Information about the system itself" is | ||
| + | processed by the limbic system, and "information | ||
| + | about other things" by the cerebral cortex. | ||
| + | |||
| + | If robots are able to understand things | ||
| + | through language, then the point where | ||
| + | they start to distinguish "information about | ||
| + | the system itself" and "information about | ||
| + | other things" is the point where self-awareness | ||
| + | begins. To know the self means to know where | ||
| + | the self ends, and where the rest of the world | ||
| + | begins. | ||
== Links == | == Links == | ||
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| + | * SciAm article: [http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=can-a-robot-an-insect-or Can a Robot, an Insect or God Be Aware?] | ||
* Wikipedia Entry for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-awareness Self-Awareness] | * Wikipedia Entry for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-awareness Self-Awareness] | ||
| + | * NYTimes article: [http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/11/science/11MACH.html Can Robots Become Conscious?] | ||
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| + | [[Category:Psychology]] | ||
[[Category:Consciousness]] | [[Category:Consciousness]] | ||
[[Category:Self-Star Properties]] | [[Category:Self-Star Properties]] | ||
