Ask HN: Do you think cognition can exist in non-organic substrates?

2 points·desertraven··7 comments

If so, what? Might such structures exist already? How could such a configuration come into existence?

If cognition evolved along with organic evolution, then it seems to me that the very first survival value associated with initiating evolving cognition must have been the ability to control motion. I can not imagine a survival value to cognition in a system lacking motion. If by non-organic you mean mineral, then I don't see how cognition could initiate or sustain in fixed crystals. If we consider patterns in electron motion or motion of imperfections in crystals, I suppose that might work.

This is a fun topic, but pretty squirrelly.

Yes. Because somewhere between the capabilities of normal and quantum computers the basic truth of things being computable means that if it happens with a physical representation we should be able to simulate that in a computer… eventually with enough power, and no guarantee on how close it would be to “real time” either … but absolutely yes.

Define cognition first? Ideally as a scale or range to compare against.

This definition for Wikipedia seems apt: "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses"

Are we talking about a Horta here? Or just a cpu?

Haha thanks for broadening my horizons - had no idea what a Horta is.

I'm not sure of examples, hence the question, but I feel like if you remove life as we know it, there is still so much complexity in the universe. I wonder if intelligence can rise out of processes outside of a brain.

Sure. Why not?

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