Debate: under computational functionalism, an 'unconscious substrate' could still be conscious
UnderwaterBepis · x · 2026-10-09
A philosophy-of-mind debate on AI consciousness: the author argues CDT+GT doesn't go far enough — if Omega in Newcomb's problem simulates the agent on an 'unconscious' substrate, the agent's action still affects the prediction, so ex ante optimality calls for CDT+GT+CF (computational functionalism), under which a functionally identical simulation on, say, water flowing through pipes would be just as conscious. The interlocutor notes human consciousness can't yet be shown functionally identical to anything known-conscious, but future neuroscience plus CF could settle it.
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