[Buddha-l] Does robots have consciousness?

[Franz Metcalf]

Gang,

I'm fiddling with ideas and videos while Tibet burns, so when Curt  
wrote,

> When a computer and/or robot possesses consciousness we will know it  
> because it will tell us so. Even more convincing would be a computer  
> that is capable of asking itself the question "am I conscious - and  
> if so, what does that mean.... and who the hell am I, anyway?"

and when Weng Fai wrote,

> In my humble opinion, the bigger threat to Tibetan culture and way  
> of life (as with most of the rest of the world) in the long run is  
> Hollywoodization, Disneyization, MacDonaldization, Californication  
> and the like. The Chinese themselves are losing this battle.


I was a bit surprised. It seemed that talk on buddha-l had turned  
disturbingly to me. As a Hollywood, California Buddhist who owns an  
annual pass to Disneyland and can't figure out if I'm a robot or not  
or who hell I am, anyway, I must say "I resemble that remark!"

Franz
(who at least hasn't been to McDonald's in years)