X-Message-Number: 5458
From: 
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 11:22:02 -0500
Subject: rejoinders

A couple of small rejoinders to John Clark's # 5457:

1. This is very minor, but it isn't true that any trait we have must be
favored by evolution. It could have been favored in just one small space-time
interval, and then persisted for a while; or it could be just an accident, or
an accidental adjunct of something else that is more important in some sense.

2. I noted that the self circuit or subjective circuit (SC) might be favored
by evolution because it provides an efficient means of categorizing and
prioritizing inputs and outputs, thus saving brain weight or/and power
consumption or/and reaction time. John said that, in this case, it would be
harder to build a non-conscious system than a conscious one. Surely this does
not follow. It is almost always easier (quicker and simpler) to build clumsy
and inefficient devices than elegant ones. If this were not the case, our
first attempts would always be the best, and nothing would ever be improved.

Robert Ettinger


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