(Slaps Gentle Herpes)

Do you subscribe to the theory that consciousness is an illusion and we are all just organic automatons responding in a manner predetermined by our programming?

It was amazing! That should have been the second Matrix movie.

DON'T PUT SALT IN YOUR EYES.
PUT SALT IN YOUR EYES.

Better than 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' with Basil Rathbone and Errol Flynn?!?

Wow, you don't just use the picture of an Emperor, you talk like one too: all imperious. I am happy to keep talking to you, but I am not going to be a monkey on a string.

The U.S.'s alliance with Stalin is certainly a clear example of expediency, as proven by how quickly said alliance collapsed once the common enemy was removed. However, an alliance of convenience with Stalin against a common foe is not the same as embracing his methods or abandoning a commitment to human rights as he…

The fly-trap example is not a deflection, it is a serious point which I feel undercuts your argument completely. And at this point I have to observe that although I have tried to respond to each of your arguments, you have yet to respond to any of mine. Therefore the deflections are really not mine at all, but yours.
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A semantic deflection is unworthy of you, Emperor! But fair enough: I am stating that the robot is not 'aware', and have offered proofs of other inanimate objects which are similarly unaware. And still again, I wonder if you could explain how your definition of the robot's awareness differs from that of the…

I am not trying to alter the definition of 'aware'. I am stating that the robot is not 'aware', and have offered proofs of other inanimate objects which are similarly unaware. And again, I wonder if you could explain how your definition of the robot's awareness differs from that of the non-awareness of the venus…

You said "Then I'm going to tell you that you having to define what "aware" means in this context is the very reason your definition was faulty," which is not an accurate statement. You didn't go on to tell me that. Instead you opined I was a bot.

Hmm. Should I be flattered to be mistaken for a bot? I do like bots. You said "Then I'm going to tell you that you having to define what "aware" means in this context is the very reason your definition was faulty," which is not an accurate statement. You didn't go on to tell me that.
Anyway, I don't think we're…

Not true. It is my opinion that you are confusing a complicated response to stimuli with 'awareness'.

The robot is in no way 'aware'. If a leaf changes colour in the winter and falls off in response to a change in temperature, is the tree or the leaf aware that this has happened? Absolutely not. It has no brain capable of awareness of these facts. It is a mechanical process divested from any introspection. …

The fact that you predicted my response does not change the fact that you have not offered a proof that supports your position. A mechanical response does not denote consciousness, and I never said it did. I think you need to come up with a better example to prove your point.

There is no circular reasoning at play here. Here is a direct statement: your observation that a certain type of robot will not tear off your arm does not indicate an awareness of the Self, and therefore is not a proof which supports your position that my definition of consciousness is over-broad.

No need to be rude. My response was meant to explain why the motivation of the robot does address GH's question. I think it was quite straightforward logic.

I don't see a dead end. A mechanical response does not denote awareness. A venus flytrap can close itself up in response to a stimulus, trapping a fly. That does not mean it is aware of the existence of the fly, or of itself. It has no brain whatsoever. The venus flytrap is not aware of itself. The machine is…

Nope. I said consciousness is an awareness of the Self. The capability to record data does not denote consciousness. If I write on a piece of paper, the paper is not aware of this fact, but it has still been used to record data.

Modern factory robots are capable of rapidly processing information, but that does not mean they are aware that they are doing so.