John Searle, a leading philosopher of mind famous for his critique of machine intelligence, engages with Nick Bostrom, an AI safety expert. They dissect the nature of consciousness, rejecting fears of machines gaining self-awareness. Searle argues that machines lack the necessary semantics to possess true motivation or understanding. The conversation explores the distinctions between subjective and objective experiences, blindsight phenomena, and the complexities of visual perception. Their insights challenge contemporary misconceptions about AI and consciousness.

Philosophy professor John Searle visits Google to discuss the philosophy of mind and the potential for consciousness in artificial intelligence. John is widely noted for his contributions to the philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and social philosophy. Among his notable concepts is the "Chinese room" argument, which challenges the supposed language comprehension ability of artificial intelligence. Searle conceived of the “Chinese room” thought experiment in 1980. Imagine a native English speaker who cannot read or speak Chinese, locked in a room with boxes of Chinese symbols together with a book of instructions for manipulating the symbols. Imagine that people outside the room send in other Chinese symbols which, unknown to the person in the room, are questions in Chinese. And imagine that by following the book of instructions, the man in the room can pass out Chinese symbols which are correct answers to the questions. Thus the person in the room is able to convince the people outside the room that he understands Chinese, but in fact he does not understand a word of Chinese. The narrow conclusion of the argument is that programming a computer may make it appear to understand language, but cannot produce true comprehension. Searle argues the fact that computers merely use syntactic rules to manipulate symbol strings, but have no true grasp of meaning or semantics. Thus, the theory that human minds are computer-like computational or information processing systems is inadequate. Instead, the human mind must result from biological processes; computers can at best simulate these biological processes. His argument has large implications for semantics, philosophy of language and mind, theories of consciousness, computer science and cognitive science generally. Originally published in December of 2015. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Join John Searle, a leading philosopher from UC Berkeley, Hilary Lawson, a critic of realism and founder of How the Light Gets In, and Hannah Dawson, a lecturer and author, as they tackle the crisis of truth in contemporary discourse. They explore how a generation shaped by postmodernism grapples with objectivity and meaning. The guests challenge the tyranny of truth claims, emphasizing the importance of narrative and wisdom over rigid realism. They also delve into how language and human categories influence our understanding of reality.

Join post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson, professor of logic Michael Potter, and philosopher of language John Searle as they debate the impact of philosophy's linguistic turn. They delve into language's role in shaping reality, exploring whether it hinders our understanding or enhances it. From analyzing sentences about non-existent objects to discussing the uniqueness of human language, this podcast challenges traditional perceptions of language in philosophy.

Explore the illusion of free will and how it affects our lives. Discuss the interconnectedness of the brain, body, and world, and the influence of past experiences, culture, and instincts on our actions and thoughts. Discover the concept of a self as stories we create and the role of language and reasoning. Uncover the influence of unconscious actions on life choices and the importance of embracing change. Delve into innate desires, the power of language, and the impact of external forces on our lives.