Technology Ethics


Consciousness

People feeling emotions — something machines are incapable of doing to our knowledge... Source

Machines seem to be missing one crucial function—at least for now—which happens to be an important trait in all living beings: consciousness. There are many definitions regarding the concept of consciousness, however the most applicable definition—in this instance—is, “the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, volition, and thought” (Marriam Webster, dictionary); a similar definition is, “the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself” (Marriam Webster, dictionary). Consciousness, according to these two definitions, must therefore be the presence of self-awareness in a being. Given that human beings have yet to fully comprehend what consciousness actually is, technology might be a groundbreaking medium to teach us how to create consciousness—and turn a something into a someone. In theory, this may allow us to better understand what might happen after death—and whether or not we share the same consciousness as plants, animals, and life altogether.

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