Dennis Hackethal’s Blog
My blog about philosophy, coding, and anything else that interests me.
Tweets
An archive of my tweets and retweets through . They may be formatted slightly differently than on Twitter. API access has since gotten prohibitively expensive – I don't know whether or when I'll be able to update this archive.
But in case I will, you can subscribe via RSS – without a Twitter account. Rationale
@SmashAGrape @q_douglashofsta @davideagleman
David Deutsch cites I am a Strange Loop and writes in The Beginning of Infinity:
Following Dennett, Hofstadter eventually concludes that the ‘I’ is an illusion.
That sounds like Hofstadter outright denies that consciousness exists, not like he thinks it’s a spectrum.
Idk. I read GEB to the halfway point. Not a fan.
Animals are mostly hardware (DNA) driven. Humans are mostly software (reason) driven. If you are saying this, I agree.
I’m not. Both are software-driven, but their software is different.
Are you familiar with I Am A Strange Loop?
I know of it but haven’t read it.
If you read my blog post, I don’t think you understood it…
“just because of that” But I gave many more reasons didn’t I?
Are infant humans conscious?
Yes
How about humans with genetic defects such as mongoloid syndrome, etc.?
Idk
[…] disabling a cat through specific genetically programed response does not prove lack of consciousness.
I’m not after proof.
There should be ‘food lockdowns’ where, for environmental as well as health reasons, people don’t get to eat for a certain amount of time. But if they qualify they can get a passport which will allow them to eat insects. #science
Woher wissen wir, was wir wissen?
Nächsten Dienstag um 19 Uhr MEZ lese ich das erste Kapitel aus David Deutschs Buch Der Anfang der Unendlichkeit auf Clubhouse. Hört mit rein! Jetzt in den Kalender eintragen:
This is the clearest form of that side of the argument I’ve read. This debate in CR circles is one of the most…
Nothing is more important than diversity.
New blog post: ‘Animal-Sentience FAQ’
blog.dennishackethal.com/posts/animal-s…
If you’d like to discuss I encourage you to leave a comment at the bottom of the page – discussing is easier there since there’s no character limit.
I thought they were gonna go with constellations next for naming mutants?
This one is “highly mutated” LOL
⚡️ “Is the R.1 variant in California? What to know about the highly mutated COVID strain” by @sfchronicle twitter.com/i/events/14413…
I think it’s pretty difficult to stop thinking of animals as conscious. One reason is that many are pressured into caring for animals. But it would be fruitful for them to entertain that animals may not be conscious, then discuss and come to their own conclusion.
Ah, you mean like people who torture animals thinking that animals can suffer?
Then yes, I could imagine that being psychologically harmful to those people.
How are antibiotics going to help with a virus?
RT @Resist_05:
Australia is not OK.. send help.! https://t.co/4USUnM5JES
RT @dvassallo:
My idea validation process:
- Will I enjoy it?
- Can I do it on my own?
- Is it likely to work?
- Is it okay if it does…
RT @libsoftiktok:
If you’re ever having a bad day, just remember there are people living in Australia.
RT @libsoftiktok:
🚨 This insanity is happening on college campuses https://t.co/BrVxICZYqP
Actually, wait. Flight simulators don’t come with a risk of injury. That’s different.
Practicing caring on a non-conscious object, I mean, fine, I guess. But not when you risk injuring yourself?!
First it was about your dog, and now that I’ve addressed your dog, suddenly it’s about rats.
Note how you conveniently ignored all my responses about your dog and how you ignored another question of mine.
Point to a specific rat study and how it taught us more about ourselves that makes us think they’re conscious?
There is no reason to assume […]
More “I’m already right” thinking.
[…] that human language and cognition were required for conscious awareness or feelings. That’s exactly backwards.
Agreed on the language part but when did I claim language was required??
We are all related, after all.
I believe I had already refuted the notion that this has any bearing on the question of whether animals are conscious.
This doesn’t address anything I said. You’re again just looking for confirmation of your existing beliefs. You don’t want to get to the bottom of the matter.
We’re not gonna make much headway in this conversation if you’re not willing to be critical of your own ideas.
Consider what that means if you’re wrong: you’ll be stuck with your wrong ideas forever.
I think how defensive you got and how you decided to insult me instead of staying on topic got is evidence of the very claim I was making.
Here’s how you can make a robot behave in a way that looks like a pain reaction, no consciousness needed:
gist.github.com/dchacke/d06cb9…
In any case, these threads are getting unwieldy because they’re branching off in all kinds of directions and Twitter is terrible for discussing.
Want to continue publicly over email? If so, email me: dennis.hackethal@gmail.com
Also, instead of dismissing something as a language game or irrelevant, and instead of trying to extort agreement from me, you should critically assess your own views and take my comments as honest help with that.
twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
There are more but I’ll stop here.
It’s only a single word so it can’t be a “language [game]”. And it answers your question directly so it can’t be “not revelant”.
This is already enough to refute your claim but here are some more answers to your questions:
I don’t think you’ve actually answered a single question I’ve posed since we started talking.
Demonstrably false. Notably, the very first word I wrote to you (“Correct”) was an answer (which you immediately followed up by ignoring my question):
If the amoeba backs away from threats and predators through mere pain reactions from the nervous system without the associated suffering the survival value is the same as with the associated suffering.
It’s a complex behavior.
As I believe I have explained, no matter how complex, behavior can be inborn and pre-programmed. Complexity is not evidence of consciousness.
How could he taste treats, feel bath anxiety, realize I was tricking him, or care about anything?
He doesn’t do any of that.
By the way, what does it say about your love for your dog that you deliberately trick him?
And why would a nonconscious dog even try to override his love of treats to avoid a hated bath?
I’ve given the answer previously in a different context. Because his genes programmed him to.
Here are your answers:
How could he do it without consciousness, Dennis?
I put this together for you: gist.github.com/dchacke/485358…
I stand corrected: you did eventually answer that here twitter.com/AstralKing7/st…
Plus at the very least it must be possible the same way nature did it.
We don’t know how to do it currently, but it must be possible. Computational universality is the theory, nature already having done it is your evidence.
No […]
Yay you answered a question of mine!
Have we ever demonstrated thst we can build a conscious anything, let alone a gum-toothpick computer?
‘Demonstrated’ by building something? Dunno. But no need to. Follows from computational universality.
Have you still not read my blog post about swimming dogs? It’d be a lot easier to find refutations of your arguments in there than to talk to me. Would save you a lot of time, too.
The creative software running on your brain. It’s a continuous process of discovery and knowledge creation.
See how I answer your questions but you don’t answer mine? Can you answer mine now, please?
…intelligence does see it. I don’t know why you keep trying to coerce me into agreement when I’ve already explained that won’t work.
Also, biological entities can be machines because machines can be made out of tissue. You’re implying a contradiction but there is none.
He’d assume everybody capable of reading the book would know he was actually speaking about biological entities, not machines.
You’re being very aggressive again. You’re implying I’m the only one not seeing what Dawkins meant, whereas everyone else with even basic…
How could there be a quote?
There could be a quote that backs up your claim, of the sort ‘what I say about organisms being genes’ robots should be understood as a metaphor’. Without such a quote, you should entertain the idea that you may be mistaken about what Dawkins meant
Then I asked if a proposed way to continue the conversation was agreeable to you. You didn’t answer, just immediately started pursuing that way.
I don’t know the biology of amoebas, so I’m guessing.
We always are.
First I asked how the amoeba could display complex behaviors without being conscious. You didn’t answer that. You answers another question I didn’t ask, which I have explained. You don’t take what I write literally.
It’s quite a thing to call your questions more pertinent than mine.
Proof isn’t a desirable epistemic goal. For the reasons Deutsch explains, one has to go by good explanations and be critical, not look for confirmation.
This is sophisticated behavior. The nanobot must be conscious, right? twitter.com/weird_sci/stat…
Don’t. Follow what’s fun. You won’t need to push yourself. twitter.com/mysteriouskat/…
Is should deploy cat-deactivation trick as developed by Mouse-Ad:
Also, isn’t it ironic that to claim CA “is running out of water” they show a picture with lots of water and green land? twitter.com/dchackethal/st…
You ignored “it can’t be X because…” (meaning there’s an explanation coming) and “And so on”.
I suggest waiting for the blog post and then reading it, then we can discuss further.
Correct, but these aren’t just explanations of the form “NOT X”. They’re of the form “If it were X, then should see this other thing, and we don’t.” Or “it can’t be X because…”. And so on.
We have good explanations of what consciousness isn’t, and animals fit that to a T. Will explain more in an upcoming blog post titled ‘Animal-Sentience FAQ’, stay tuned.
RT @ToKTeacher:
Thanks to @jannikwiese and @dchackethal we have an English transcript of this German interview between David and Dennis: ht…
I don’t know why ppl keep asking me if I’m certain. It has no bearing on the matter. Are you asking literally or simply inviting me to question my beliefs? twitter.com/minobenjo/stat…
Can they please program those ‘dogs’ to whimper so that PETA gets involved?
If you simulate a conscious mind in a robot then the robot is conscious in reality and does suffer.
I’m not certain but I’m not after certainty.
I don’t see how ‘rescuing’ your Roomba when it gets stuck under a piece of furniture is practicing caring. But do your thing. Different strokes I guess…
“California is running out of water” twitter.com/i/events/14406…
Expropriate water companies at a price the government chooses (see Berlin with apartments) if water isn’t already ‘public’. Then force people to conserve water by shutting their water off. Also try ‘water lockdowns’.
You can’t harm robots. You can damage them, but you can’t cause them any suffering.
One of the dumber things you can do is try to rescue a meat robot at the risk of injuring yourself. twitter.com/DudespostingWs…
RT @ClimateWarrior7:
Algeria should invade Australia and install a democratic regime.
Could be because a 30% rise of a small number is much easier to achieve than a 30% rise of a much higher number.
She’s a mother (see her bio).
More people using their creativity to be conformists. twitter.com/PatsKarvelas/s…
Die Arroganz wirtschaftlicher Planer (also wirtschaftlicher Analphabeten) kennt keine Grenzen. twitter.com/pkbrln/status/…
Your tax dollars at work. Monopoly of violence not working out so well is it? twitter.com/MichaelPSenger…
RT @DrJBhattacharya:
Bulletin from zero-COVID NZ:
Two men arrested for smuggling KFC in violation of NZ level four lockdown. Police photos…
Yes because persuasion is always possible. You don’t need coercion to ‘get’ people to do things. Not to mention that with such a high death rate it would be so much easier to persuade them. twitter.com/paulg/status/1…
@ClimateWarrior7 @Markgsparrow
Canned cats are pretty good too.
The same argument is often used to coerce adults. For example to coerce ‘covidiots’ who don’t ‘get’ how important vaccines are.
But both kids and adults are capable of understanding. They’re universal explainers (David Deutsch).
Having ‘less inequality’ is bad not good. twitter.com/Noahpinion/sta…
Rick, you should become a daycare employee so you can protect children from safetyism by assaulting them. Surely there are many open positions and your colleagues will love you. Try applying for one today!
Neither, I think, because both can lead to coercion. Perhaps a better alternative is: everyone individually should strive to solve what he considers to be the most fun problem.
The chick in the photo may be Covid-free but definitely not tick-free!
Wasn’t there something about checks and balances? twitter.com/nomadcapitalis…
Auf Deutsch funktioniert die Szene auch gut:
‘Hol ihn runter, Toddy.’
‘Ja, Toddy, hol beiden einen runter.’ twitter.com/brbascript/sta…
It’s an Easter egg. Most people don’t know this.
Chatting with @IamtheWay13 about Popper’s criterion and state-sponsored violence:
RT @Neuro_Skeptic:
This product will stimulate touch receptors in your arm, which sends signals to your brain! If you think that’s neat, wa…
RT @TheBabylonBee:
Vaccinated Man Just Wishes There Was Something That Could Protect Him From COVID babylonbee.com/news/vaccinate…