Philosopher predicts biological naturalism will become the go-to argument against AI consciousness
eschwitz · x · 2026-10-03
Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) argues on The Splintered Mind that biological naturalism is about to get hot: as AI systems increasingly look, at least superficially, like conscious entities, doubters will gravitate to arguments that define consciousness as inherently biological — buying themselves decades of not taking AI consciousness seriously.
He dissects the two-step structure of such arguments: (1) property X is biological and cannot be instantiated in standard AI systems; (2) X is necessary for consciousness. Different versions propose different X candidates — e.g., Peter Godfrey-Smith appeals to metabolism, which requires both that solar-panel power doesn't count and that a system lacking such metabolism necessarily lacks consciousness, with molecular-level spontaneous motion as the key feature. Non-naturalist alternatives (God-installed souls) are noted but disfavored in mainstream philosophy and science.
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