To steelman the popcorn objection, one could say that separating “normal” computations from popcorn shaking requires at least certain sorts of conditions on what counts as a valid interpretation, and such conditions increase the arbitrariness of the theory. Of course, if we adopt a complexity-of-value approach to moral value (as I and probably you think we should), then those conditions on what counts as a computation may be minimal compared with the other forms of arbitrariness we bring to bear.
I haven’t read Principia Qualia and so can’t comment competently, but I agree that symmetry seems like not the kind of thing I’m looking for when assessing the moral importance of a physical system, or at least it’s not more than one small part of what I’m looking for. Most of what I care about is at the level of ordinary cognitive science, such as mental representations, behaviors, learning, preferences, introspective abilities, etc.
That said, I do think theories like IIT are at least slightly useful insofar as they expand our vocabulary and provide additional metrics that we might care a little bit about.
That said, I do think theories like IIT are at least slightly useful insofar as they expand our vocabulary and provide additional metrics that we might care a little bit about.
I didn’t have in mind anything profound. :) The idea is just that “degree of information integration” is one interesting metric along which to compare minds, along with metrics like “number of neurons”, “number of synapses”, “number of ATP molecules consumed per second”, “number of different brain structures”, “number of different high-level behaviors exhibited”, and a thousand other similar things.
To steelman the popcorn objection, one could say that separating “normal” computations from popcorn shaking requires at least certain sorts of conditions on what counts as a valid interpretation, and such conditions increase the arbitrariness of the theory. Of course, if we adopt a complexity-of-value approach to moral value (as I and probably you think we should), then those conditions on what counts as a computation may be minimal compared with the other forms of arbitrariness we bring to bear.
I haven’t read Principia Qualia and so can’t comment competently, but I agree that symmetry seems like not the kind of thing I’m looking for when assessing the moral importance of a physical system, or at least it’s not more than one small part of what I’m looking for. Most of what I care about is at the level of ordinary cognitive science, such as mental representations, behaviors, learning, preferences, introspective abilities, etc.
That said, I do think theories like IIT are at least slightly useful insofar as they expand our vocabulary and provide additional metrics that we might care a little bit about.
If you expanded on this, I would be interested.
I didn’t have in mind anything profound. :) The idea is just that “degree of information integration” is one interesting metric along which to compare minds, along with metrics like “number of neurons”, “number of synapses”, “number of ATP molecules consumed per second”, “number of different brain structures”, “number of different high-level behaviors exhibited”, and a thousand other similar things.