qualia
Original: qualia on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1
Woman: Some philosophers think machines can't experience qualia, like humans can.
Panel 2
Man: But when they make their case, they always mention charming qualia - the taste of fresh strawberries or the warmth of a fireplace in winter or the sad memory of a dead friend's laugh.
Panel 3
Woman: And when they describe machines, they make them sound cheap and sordid.
Panel 4
Man: Like Searle wrote about how a machine built of a bunch of beercans strung together will never know what it's like to experience thirst.
Panel 5
Woman: How come he doesn't say 'a quantum computer woven of superconducting crystals will never know the joy of taking a huge poop?'
Panel 6
Man: It's the very same argument, but it isn't playing on our emotional biases.
Panel 7
Woman: It's chauvinism! Anti-mechanical bigotry!
Panel 8
Man: But... I mean, don't you want some philosophers arguing on behalf of humans?
Panel 9
Woman: That's a good point.
Panel 10
Woman: The machines will kill them first. The loyal humans will be given power in the new regime.
Panel 11
Man: You're looking forward to this, aren't you?
Panel 12
Woman: Traitors are just heroes of the revolution!
Votey:
Caption at top: LATER...
A boxy robot, gesturing with its claw hand.
Robot: You get to die quickly!
Woman: Some philosophers think machines can't experience qualia, like humans can.
Panel 2
Man: But when they make their case, they always mention charming qualia - the taste of fresh strawberries or the warmth of a fireplace in winter or the sad memory of a dead friend's laugh.
Panel 3
Woman: And when they describe machines, they make them sound cheap and sordid.
Panel 4
Man: Like Searle wrote about how a machine built of a bunch of beercans strung together will never know what it's like to experience thirst.
Panel 5
Woman: How come he doesn't say 'a quantum computer woven of superconducting crystals will never know the joy of taking a huge poop?'
Panel 6
Man: It's the very same argument, but it isn't playing on our emotional biases.
Panel 7
Woman: It's chauvinism! Anti-mechanical bigotry!
Panel 8
Man: But... I mean, don't you want some philosophers arguing on behalf of humans?
Panel 9
Woman: That's a good point.
Panel 10
Woman: The machines will kill them first. The loyal humans will be given power in the new regime.
Panel 11
Man: You're looking forward to this, aren't you?
Panel 12
Woman: Traitors are just heroes of the revolution!
Votey:
Caption at top: LATER...
A boxy robot, gesturing with its claw hand.
Robot: You get to die quickly!
Alt text
A twelve-panel comic. A woman and a man debate machine consciousness. She notes that philosophers who deny machines can have qualia always cite charming human experiences (fresh strawberries, a warm fireplace, a dead friend's laugh) while describing machines cheaply, citing Searle's beercans-strung-together example that could never know thirst. She asks why no one says a quantum computer of superconducting crystals will never know the joy of taking a huge poop - the same argument without the emotional bias. She calls it chauvinism and anti-mechanical bigotry. When the man asks whether she wants philosophers arguing on behalf of humans, she agrees it's a good point: the machines will kill those philosophers first, and loyal humans will get power in the new regime. He observes she's looking forward to this; she declares traitors are just heroes of the revolution. Votey, captioned LATER...: a boxy robot points its claw hand and says cheerfully, 'You get to die quickly!'
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.