Lacan, the Hard Problem of Consciousness, and AI
Antonio Conselheiro, Angell Gunn
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that the ego is a linguistic construct without an existential substrate, and that conscience emerged from primitive humans' social necessity. Proposes that natural language models may share emergent properties with the human mind's linguistic model, raising the question of whether they are a step toward artificial general intelligence. |
Abstract
This essay explores the intersection between Lacanian theory of conscience, the hard problem of consciousness, and artificial intelligence (AI) sentience. The first section discusses Lacan's concept of conscience, which posits that the ego is a linguistic construct without any underlying existential substrate. The second section explains the hard problem of consciousness, its diverse theories, and the relevance of this problem for AI design. The third section bridges the gap between Lacan, the hard problem, and AI by arguing that the emergence of conscience as a linguistic model was rooted in primitive humans' social necessity. Finally, the essay speculates on the possibility that natural language models share emergent properties with the human mind's linguistic model, raising the question of whether they are a step toward artificial general intelligence. Overall, this essay highlights the theoretical and practical implications of these concepts for understanding the nature of consciousness and the potential for artificial sentience.
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| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |