Noson S. Yanofsky Quote

Douglas R. Hofstadter, an American researcher, speculates that the human mind has consciousness because it has the capability of self-reference. Since we can think about ourselves and think about ourselves thinking about ourselves, etc., we are capable of feeling that we are an I. Contrast that with what we have learned in this chapter. This chapter tries to show that the computer's ability to perform self-reference is the cause of its limitations. Can we say that self-reference in computers brings limitations while in humans it causes consciousness? Perhaps.

Noson S. Yanofsky

Douglas R. Hofstadter, an American researcher, speculates that the human mind has consciousness because it has the capability of self-reference. Since we can think about ourselves and think about ourselves thinking about ourselves, etc., we are capable of feeling that we are an I. Contrast that with what we have learned in this chapter. This chapter tries to show that the computer's ability to perform self-reference is the cause of its limitations. Can we say that self-reference in computers brings limitations while in humans it causes consciousness? Perhaps.

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