Insight intelectual e meditação contra a ilusão (Fuvest 2004)
From Susan Blackmore In his article on computers and consciousness, Igor Aleksander was quite wrong to say that "Susan Blackmore...implies that constructing a machine that is conscious like us would be impossible" (19 July, p 40). I do indeed claim that consciousness is an illusion. This is because it feels to us humans as though there is a continuous flow of experiences happening to an inner self, when in fact, there is no such inner self. Computers have no inner self either, but if ever they start thinking they do they will become deluded like us, and hence conscious like us. And that day is surely not far off. We humans can sometimes wake up from our delusion, through intellectual insight or through practices like meditation. Maybe future computers will teach us a thing or two about waking up from illusion. Bristol, UK (New Scientist, August 9, 2003)
[Charge ao lado do texto: um psicanalista sentado numa cadeira, com bloco de anotações, diz num balão "TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EARLY YEARS"; deitado no divã à sua frente está um computador (monitor com cara triste). No chão, uma caixa com a inscrição "COMPUTER REPAIRS".]
Fonte: New Scientist, August 9, 2003.
Susan Blackmore says that
- A) intellectual insight and practices like meditation can help us become aware of our delusion.
- B) computers will help humans increase their intellectual expertise in the future.
- C) meditation and similar practices are helpful for people who spend long hours in front of computers.
- D) people easily fall into the illusion that computers will solve most of their problems.
- E) computers are necessary in people's lives to free them from their illusion of an overpowering consciousness.