If Consciousness Is Just a Biological Function, Does a Machine Doing the Job Count?
alexcovo_eth · x · 2026-09-02
The author proposes a thought experiment: if consciousness is an ordinary biological function like sight or walking, then any system (including a machine) that provides the complete service for itself should count as conscious — what matters is only that the job gets done. He then pokes at his own claim by applying "consciousness-style thinking" to digestion, noting digestion seems to have a core essential part that contributes nothing to the digestive service yet is indispensable — contradicting a purely functionalist standard. The thread continues the classic functionalism vs. biological naturalism debate over machine consciousness.
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