No: computers can't be conscious [6]
Machines can't have subjective experiences. Machines can't consciously perceive, feel, or remember anything. And, because consciousness is necessary for thought, machines can't think either.
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The questions explored on
Map 6 – Do computers have to be conscious to think? are:
- Can computers be conscious?
- Is consciousness necessary for thought?
- Is the consciousness requirement solipsistic?
- Can higher-order representations produce consciousness?
- Can functional states generate consciousness?
- Does physicalism show that computers can be conscious?
- Does the connection principle show that consciousness is necessary for thought?
Note: The relation between consciousness, thinking and mentality is itself a subject of debate, some of which is represented in the argumentation around this position.