UPDATED: 2021-03-11 A
Focal points of the subject area – “thinking in progress”.
- Do (non-human) animals "think"?
- Analytical Philosophy of Mind and its cultural, social and societal implications
- Will follow
About "Thinking" of animals
Do (non-human) animals "think"? Or do humans "think" that (on-human) animals "think"?
I would like to start with this special question, which has far-reaching implications: I am talking about the use of the word "think" which is frequently used not only in popular scientific publications (e.g. film documentaries) - but as well as in scentific biological and philosophical publications.
That is the reason why I want to focus on the latter, because, if even philosophy and science still use the word in an unclear and misleading manner, it is of course not surprising that popular scientific media follow.
Continued here!
Exchanging ideas on Analytic Philosophy of Mind (& Brain) topics, which may include fundamental questions in the border areas with psychology and AI
Just as an appetizer, a very real fundamental question of far-reaching cultural, social and societal importance: Can/will digital systems (in principle/possibly in the future) possess emotions and/or consciousness? And immediately my provocative counter-question: Yes, why not? - The devil is then, as always, in the detail.
And will digital systems then also not possess what we humans call "free will"?
I strongly suspect humanity will be confronted with these questions in the next 30-50 years (if not before); so many of you readers will live to see it.