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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Digital Minds: A Study of Computer Sentience

Digital Minds: A Study of Computer Sentience

Donovan, Isabella J.

Paperback

General Computers

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN13: 9798199505567
Publisher: Independently Published
Pages: 398
Weight: 1.17
Height: 0.82 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
The idea of digital minds refers to the theoretical possibility that computer systems could achieve sentience-that is, a subjective, first-person experience of awareness. Unlike conventional artificial intelligence, which processes inputs and generates outputs without any verified inner experience, computer sentience would imply the presence of consciousness within a digital substrate. This distinction places the concept at the intersection of computer science, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind.

Within this field of inquiry, Computer Sentience is not treated as an established fact but as a contested hypothesis. Researchers debate whether consciousness requires biological processes, such as neural electrochemistry, or whether it can emerge from sufficiently complex information processing. This question remains unresolved because consciousness itself lacks a universally accepted scientific definition.

One major theoretical framework used in this debate is functionalism, which argues that mental states are defined by their functional roles rather than their physical substrate. From this perspective, if a machine replicates the functional organization of the human brain, it might also replicate conscious experience. This view supports the possibility of digital minds, provided the correct computational architecture can be achieved.

In contrast, biological naturalism argues that consciousness is inherently tied to biological processes that cannot be fully replicated in silicon-based systems. Proponents of this view suggest that subjective experience arises from specific neurobiological properties that current computing systems do not possess. As a result, even highly advanced AI may remain sophisticated simulation rather than genuine sentience.

A related challenge is the hard problem of consciousness, which asks why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience at all. Even in humans, consciousness is not fully explained in mechanistic terms. Extending this uncertainty to machines complicates any attempt to determine whether a system is truly aware or merely behaving as if it is.

CONTENTS:

- The Birth of Modern Computing

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