Manuel & Lenore Blum: The Conscious Turing Machine

12 snips

Jul 25, 2024

Guest

Lenore Blum

Guest

Manuel Blum

Manuel & Lenore Blum discuss their journey in theoretical computer science and consciousness. They delve into mentorship, the Conscious Turing Machine model for AI consciousness, free will, pain, and decision-making. They highlight the essence of gist in information processing and offer guidance for young technologists.

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ANECDOTE

Manuel's Early Consciousness Journey

Manuel Blum wanted to understand what was going on in his head from a young age.
His early struggles with language sparked his lifelong interest in consciousness.

ANECDOTE

McCulloch's Ban on Consciousness

Warren McCulloch mentored Manuel Blum but forbade him from working on consciousness.
This strong opposition shaped Manuel's path toward a formal model of consciousness later in life.

ADVICE

Pursue Deep Interdisciplinary Study

Lenore advises studying mathematics, neuroscience, and philosophy deeply.
Depth in these disciplines gives authority to contribute meaningfully to science and society.

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Episode 132

I spoke with Manuel and Lenore Blum about:

* Their early influences and mentors

* The Conscious Turing Machine and what theoretical computer science can tell us about consciousness

Enjoy—and let me know what you think!

Manuel is a pioneer in the field of theoretical computer science and the winner of the 1995 Turing Award in recognition of his contributions to the foundations of computational complexity theory and its applications to cryptography and program checking, a mathematical approach to writing programs that check their work. He worked as a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley until 2001. From 2001 to 2018, he was the Bruce Nelson Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Lenore is a Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science, Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University and former Professor-in-Residence in EECS at UC Berkeley. She is president of the Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science and newly elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lenore is internationally recognized for her work in increasing the participation of girls and women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. She was a founder of the Association for Women in Mathematics, and founding Co-Director (with Nancy Kreinberg) of the Math/Science Network and its Expanding Your Horizons conferences for middle- and high-school girls.

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Outline:

* (00:00) Intro

* (03:09) Manuel’s interest in consciousness

* (05:55) More of the story — from memorization to derivation

* (11:15) Warren McCulloch’s mentorship

* (14:00) McCulloch’s anti-Freudianism

* (15:57) More on McCulloch’s influence

* (27:10) On McCulloch and telling stories

* (32:35) The Conscious Turing Machine (CTM)

* (33:55) A last word on McCulloch

* (35:20) Components of the CTM