Oxford Philosophy professor David Chalmers About Consciousness

Many researchers in the artificial intelligence community believe the ultimate nature of consciousness resides in algorithms, those calculational programs by which computers do their work. If an algorithm for human consciousness exists, those who take the extreme view of this position speculate it may reside in the actual formula itself, the numbers as it were, and not necessarily in its interaction with the brain.


In this scenario, a robot running the human consciousness algorithm would be no less conscious than a human brain running the same program.


Penrose and Hameroff, on the other hand, argue the human brain's alleged deep connection to nature on the quantum level may preclude machines from ever achieving consciousness as we know it.


"Much of science these days is really just a matter of filling in the blanks," he says. "Most of the big discoveries have already been made. But this is certainly one area where great discoveries are still possible."


"I've argued strongly, for example, that a theory of consciousness will require new fundamental laws connecting physical processes to consciousness. So you might say I suspect consciousness arises from physical processes in the brain, but isn't reducible to physical processes in the brain."


In other words, it's still a mystery. And that's what makes the Hard Problem so fascinating.

-- philosophy professor David Chalmers (Youngest Professor in Oxford)
http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/media/onminds.html