The Cognitive Approach to Conscious Machines
by Pentti O. Haikonen
Principal Scientist, Cognitive Technology, Nokia Research
Imprint Academics. March 2003, 300 pp., ISBN 0907845428.
“A fascinating presentation of various issues relating to the emulation of consciousness by a machine and its capabilities. The problems that confound the issues have been so clearly and precisely presented that even a beginner student will have no difficulty in getting at the meanings. For the undergraduates it will be a comprehensibly readable text.” Metapsychology
“Recommended for serious researchers in modelling consciousness.” Mitch Parsell, Psyche
“Well-written, approachable and relatively technical, laying down a comprehensive background before adding novel views on consciousness and the mind-body problem.” Research News and Opportunities in Science and Theology
ABSTRACT
Could a machine have an immaterial mind? The author argues that true conscious machines can be built, but rejects artificial intelligence and classical neural networks in favour of the emulation of the cognitive processes of the brain—the flow of inner speech, inner imagery and emotions. This results in a non-numeric meaning-processing machine with distributed information representation and system reactions. It is argued that this machine would be conscious; it would be aware of its own existence and its mental content and perceive this as immaterial.
Novel views on consciousness and the mind–body problem are presented. This book is a must for anyone interested in consciousness research and the latest ideas in the forthcoming technology of mind.
