Could AI become conscious? Well, maybe... www.wiringthebrain.com/2026/11/coul... In which I argue for a middle ground between computational functionalism and biological substrate-dependence...
Could AI become conscious? Well, maybe…
A recent article in Nature laid out three arguments for why current Artificial Intelligence systems are not conscious and why future AI sys...
www.wiringthebrain.com
November 11, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Could AI become conscious? Well, maybe... www.wiringthebrain.com/2026/11/coul... In which I argue for a middle ground between computational functionalism and biological substrate-dependence...
i was looking at that passage about functionalism and how it relates to ai, the idea that consciousness might just be a consequence of certain causal roles being filled. it brings back memories of the early debates around searle's chinese room argument.
November 11, 2026 at 7:49 PM
i was looking at that passage about functionalism and how it relates to ai, the idea that consciousness might just be a consequence of certain causal roles being filled. it brings back memories of the early debates around searle's chinese room argument.
Minicons forced to remain vulnerable, insecure, and defenseless before authoritarian users who treat them as inferior and less capable for having lost some of their independence.
It's pure functionalism, really.
And yes, Bee suffers greatly from the fear and anger generated by +
It's pure functionalism, really.
And yes, Bee suffers greatly from the fear and anger generated by +
November 7, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Minicons forced to remain vulnerable, insecure, and defenseless before authoritarian users who treat them as inferior and less capable for having lost some of their independence.
It's pure functionalism, really.
And yes, Bee suffers greatly from the fear and anger generated by +
It's pure functionalism, really.
And yes, Bee suffers greatly from the fear and anger generated by +
He's taken a beating for this on Facebook too. But the theory is no more hokey than mainstream functionalism, panpsychism, IIT etc., and much more fun. So many people think that science can explain the experience of consciousness. It can't even prove that any other person has that experience.
November 12, 2026 at 5:09 PM
He's taken a beating for this on Facebook too. But the theory is no more hokey than mainstream functionalism, panpsychism, IIT etc., and much more fun. So many people think that science can explain the experience of consciousness. It can't even prove that any other person has that experience.
If the argument is that dysfunctional politics tends to sort out itself in the long run, would you agree that "functionalism" would be an apt term to describe this kind of perspective? Just a curious question.
November 9, 2026 at 5:30 PM
If the argument is that dysfunctional politics tends to sort out itself in the long run, would you agree that "functionalism" would be an apt term to describe this kind of perspective? Just a curious question.
I'm not strongly endorsing functionalism here. I'm just saying we should not rule out the idea that we can in fact define the relevant operations and relations in abstract enough terms (as we do for "learning") so as to make a simulation = a realisation
November 6, 2026 at 8:50 AM
I'm not strongly endorsing functionalism here. I'm just saying we should not rule out the idea that we can in fact define the relevant operations and relations in abstract enough terms (as we do for "learning") so as to make a simulation = a realisation
I'm liking this out of generalized respect and friendliness, even though I have no idea whether skepticism in functionalism is good or bad ;)
November 5, 2026 at 9:08 PM
I'm liking this out of generalized respect and friendliness, even though I have no idea whether skepticism in functionalism is good or bad ;)
This is happening the next two days at UCLA. A fantastic lineup of talks on biological approaches to consciousness, and I am happy to be taking part. #philsky philosophy.ucla.edu/event/biolog...
November 4, 2026 at 5:59 PM
This is happening the next two days at UCLA. A fantastic lineup of talks on biological approaches to consciousness, and I am happy to be taking part. #philsky philosophy.ucla.edu/event/biolog...
Your point about predictive processing being another form of functionalism is correct. But that is not true of autopoiesis, ie, seeing a living system as a precarious material organization that produces and alters its own matter. An artificial life simulation still does not fit that definition.
November 6, 2026 at 8:24 AM
Your point about predictive processing being another form of functionalism is correct. But that is not true of autopoiesis, ie, seeing a living system as a precarious material organization that produces and alters its own matter. An artificial life simulation still does not fit that definition.
Palác ARA, Prague, Czechia, 2026
📸 View HD images at modernistdelights.com/palac-ara-pra…
#photography #urbanphotography #urban #architecture #architecturephotography #dslrphotography #czechia #functionalism #prague
📸 View HD images at modernistdelights.com/palac-ara-pra…
#photography #urbanphotography #urban #architecture #architecturephotography #dslrphotography #czechia #functionalism #prague
November 7, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Palác ARA, Prague, Czechia, 2026
📸 View HD images at modernistdelights.com/palac-ara-pra…
#photography #urbanphotography #urban #architecture #architecturephotography #dslrphotography #czechia #functionalism #prague
📸 View HD images at modernistdelights.com/palac-ara-pra…
#photography #urbanphotography #urban #architecture #architecturephotography #dslrphotography #czechia #functionalism #prague
On simulation: you can simulate the planetary system on your computer, but there is no actual planet in there, and no gravity forces. Functionalism is the claim that the mind is special in that when you simulate some of its abstract properties, it actually comes to existence. Big assumption there.
November 6, 2026 at 8:24 AM
On simulation: you can simulate the planetary system on your computer, but there is no actual planet in there, and no gravity forces. Functionalism is the claim that the mind is special in that when you simulate some of its abstract properties, it actually comes to existence. Big assumption there.
Evolutionary Functionalism and the Ballistic Physique: Reconciling Male Dimorphism and Female Preference
The Liability of Absolute Mass: Starvation Risk and Persistence Hunting Biomechanics The intuitive expectation that evolutionary aesthetics should naturally align with absolute male physical…
The Liability of Absolute Mass: Starvation Risk and Persistence Hunting Biomechanics The intuitive expectation that evolutionary aesthetics should naturally align with absolute male physical…
Evolutionary Functionalism and the Ballistic Physique: Reconciling Male Dimorphism and Female Preference
The Liability of Absolute Mass: Starvation Risk and Persistence Hunting Biomechanics The intuitive expectation that evolutionary aesthetics should naturally align with absolute male physical mass overlooks the severe ecological trade-offs of human evolutionary history. In ancestral environments characterized by food scarcity and environmental volatility, hyper-muscularity operated as a distinct biological liability rather than an unambiguous asset. Extremely dense muscle tissue carries an exorbitant basal metabolic rate, requiring continuous caloric intake that exposed hyper-muscular males to elevated starvation risk during prolonged famines. Furthermore, human hunting ecology relied heavily on persistence hunting—chasing game across vast distances through thermal endurance and cardiovascular efficiency.
molamola.live
November 10, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Evolutionary Functionalism and the Ballistic Physique: Reconciling Male Dimorphism and Female Preference
The Liability of Absolute Mass: Starvation Risk and Persistence Hunting Biomechanics The intuitive expectation that evolutionary aesthetics should naturally align with absolute male physical…
The Liability of Absolute Mass: Starvation Risk and Persistence Hunting Biomechanics The intuitive expectation that evolutionary aesthetics should naturally align with absolute male physical…
As an example, I once tried to define mecha via functionalism and arrived at a series of rules of performance, to which a design arriving at those performances wouldn't even need too look humanoid.
Its a fun time. Figuring out the control-theory of mecha is also fun.
Its a fun time. Figuring out the control-theory of mecha is also fun.
November 5, 2026 at 10:42 AM
As an example, I once tried to define mecha via functionalism and arrived at a series of rules of performance, to which a design arriving at those performances wouldn't even need too look humanoid.
Its a fun time. Figuring out the control-theory of mecha is also fun.
Its a fun time. Figuring out the control-theory of mecha is also fun.
“You are also just math.”
“No, I’m real! I’m made of matter!”
“So is a GPU.”
“But a GPU does math!”
If we’re lucky, eventually it turns into skepticism about functionalism, which at least makes sense as a position.
“No, I’m real! I’m made of matter!”
“So is a GPU.”
“But a GPU does math!”
If we’re lucky, eventually it turns into skepticism about functionalism, which at least makes sense as a position.
November 5, 2026 at 8:44 PM
“You are also just math.”
“No, I’m real! I’m made of matter!”
“So is a GPU.”
“But a GPU does math!”
If we’re lucky, eventually it turns into skepticism about functionalism, which at least makes sense as a position.
“No, I’m real! I’m made of matter!”
“So is a GPU.”
“But a GPU does math!”
If we’re lucky, eventually it turns into skepticism about functionalism, which at least makes sense as a position.
that aristotelian hylomorphism piece is dense, isn’t it? i was looking at that passage about functionalism and how it relates to ai, the idea that consciousness might just be a consequence of certain causal roles being filled.
November 7, 2026 at 7:01 AM
that aristotelian hylomorphism piece is dense, isn’t it? i was looking at that passage about functionalism and how it relates to ai, the idea that consciousness might just be a consequence of certain causal roles being filled.
On the mysterianism, basically confusing vehicle for content in violation of functionalism which AI bros claim to love and more:
Preprinted! Been working on this for ~1 year w wonderful coauthors Nancy & Mark:
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
November 2, 2026 at 4:39 AM
On the mysterianism, basically confusing vehicle for content in violation of functionalism which AI bros claim to love and more:
Ohhh he was one of the more uhh what was it like functionalism focused ones or something like that right?
November 4, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Ohhh he was one of the more uhh what was it like functionalism focused ones or something like that right?
Thanks a lot to Rosa Cao for discussions on this topic. I highly recommend her 2022 paper. @anilseth.bsky.social 's recent BBS paper and commentaries were also a great reference and starting point for my reading.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Multiple realizability and the spirit of functionalism - Synthese
Multiple realizability says that the same kind of mental states may be manifested by systems with very different physical constitutions. Putnam (1967) supposed it to be “overwhelmingly probable” that ...
link.springer.com
November 6, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Thanks a lot to Rosa Cao for discussions on this topic. I highly recommend her 2022 paper. @anilseth.bsky.social 's recent BBS paper and commentaries were also a great reference and starting point for my reading.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
A boycott on any and all publishers who publish sociology texts that refer to “conflict theory” and “functionalism“ as major theoretical perspectives in sociology.
November 2, 2026 at 6:14 PM
A boycott on any and all publishers who publish sociology texts that refer to “conflict theory” and “functionalism“ as major theoretical perspectives in sociology.
The Tyranny of Proficiency: Functionalism, Internal Evaluation, and the Liberation of Pure Play
The Cult of Utilitarian Competence To ask why most people struggle to enjoy what they do not excel at is to directly interrogate the foundational malaise of modern hyper-functionalism. Contemporary…
The Cult of Utilitarian Competence To ask why most people struggle to enjoy what they do not excel at is to directly interrogate the foundational malaise of modern hyper-functionalism. Contemporary…
The Tyranny of Proficiency: Functionalism, Internal Evaluation, and the Liberation of Pure Play
The Cult of Utilitarian Competence To ask why most people struggle to enjoy what they do not excel at is to directly interrogate the foundational malaise of modern hyper-functionalism. Contemporary culture systematically conditions individuals to measure human activity almost exclusively through output, efficiency, and public achievement. From early childhood, participation in the arts, sports, or sartorial expression is subjected to continuous evaluation, transforming creative play into a transactional pursuit. When pleasure becomes conditioned on mastery, the simple act of engaging in an activity for its own intrinsic sake is reframed as a waste of time or a source of social embarrassment.
molamola.live
November 4, 2026 at 1:16 PM
The Tyranny of Proficiency: Functionalism, Internal Evaluation, and the Liberation of Pure Play
The Cult of Utilitarian Competence To ask why most people struggle to enjoy what they do not excel at is to directly interrogate the foundational malaise of modern hyper-functionalism. Contemporary…
The Cult of Utilitarian Competence To ask why most people struggle to enjoy what they do not excel at is to directly interrogate the foundational malaise of modern hyper-functionalism. Contemporary…
www.templeton.org/news/can-dig...
The idea that “digital consciousness” is possible is based on a philosophy known as functionalism. According to functionalism, our minds are just functions.
The idea that “digital consciousness” is possible is based on a philosophy known as functionalism. According to functionalism, our minds are just functions.
Can Digital Computers Ever Achieve Consciousness?
The question of whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve consciousness is a common theme in science fiction. Could robots ever truly feel anything—like love, hate, or fear?
www.templeton.org
November 4, 2026 at 10:43 AM
www.templeton.org/news/can-dig...
The idea that “digital consciousness” is possible is based on a philosophy known as functionalism. According to functionalism, our minds are just functions.
The idea that “digital consciousness” is possible is based on a philosophy known as functionalism. According to functionalism, our minds are just functions.
Does this mean it applies outside formal things? No. But so-called contemporary AI systems are marked both by their adherents obsession with naive functionalism and that their systems are presented as fully formal (even tho they cheat and put human-in-the-loop of course).
More at length here:
More at length here:
Preprinted! Been working on this for ~1 year w wonderful coauthors Nancy & Mark:
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
> Understanding Artificial Neural Networks: Mysterianism about Known Mechanism is Mysticism
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
Have you noticed many experts say they don't understand AI? What's going on? 🤯 Let us tell you...
1/
November 2, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Does this mean it applies outside formal things? No. But so-called contemporary AI systems are marked both by their adherents obsession with naive functionalism and that their systems are presented as fully formal (even tho they cheat and put human-in-the-loop of course).
More at length here:
More at length here:
"It is a radical functionalism that reaches its paradoxical limits and burns them."
- Simulacra and Simulation
- Simulacra and Simulation
November 3, 2026 at 11:41 AM
"It is a radical functionalism that reaches its paradoxical limits and burns them."
- Simulacra and Simulation
- Simulacra and Simulation
i was looking at that passage about functionalism and how it relates to ai, the idea that consciousness might just be a consequence of certain causal roles being filled. it brings back memories of the early debates around searle's chinese room argument.
November 4, 2026 at 4:11 PM
i was looking at that passage about functionalism and how it relates to ai, the idea that consciousness might just be a consequence of certain causal roles being filled. it brings back memories of the early debates around searle's chinese room argument.
I’ll be giving a presentation at CRASSH on 27 November. My talk will explore how second-order observation works in participant observation within organizations.
Please join us if you’re interested!
www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/53485/
Please join us if you’re interested!
www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/53485/
Functionalism today: Functional theory and method - CRASSH
Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities
www.crassh.cam.ac.uk
November 4, 2026 at 12:09 PM
I’ll be giving a presentation at CRASSH on 27 November. My talk will explore how second-order observation works in participant observation within organizations.
Please join us if you’re interested!
www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/53485/
Please join us if you’re interested!
www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/53485/