A deep question is, is emotion needed for conciousness? I say yes! That is not trivial and probably lies at the heart of all Philosophy.
See above. I suspect if you get emotion, you get conciousness as a side effect. Or is it the other way around?
another good question too is conciousness dependent on a minimum # of neuronal connections, or something else such as the way they are connected? of course, the answer is dependent on the definition and you won't won't even take a stab at committing to one, so...WTF you taking about
Is morality possible without emotion? I say no. While we shoud be afraid of only AI-complete cybernetic devices, I don't think we should be afraid of Emotion-Complete [I just invented that term] cybernetic devices because they will also develop moral values.
the division on AI into these two broad categories only speaks to the infancy of AI research, not true dichotomy. these lines will blur with time and understanding. (i don't really get why you don't get that?) those are some 'broad strokes" there, that really don't add anything to understanding.
is "just-us" a moral value? taking care of your tribe? taking care of business, or family at exclusion of all other tribes? "just-usis this moral?
"Emotion" is a problematic word. I believe that we have a spirit body that helps us to interact with the world. I have proven same to my own satisfaction in fact. I find that if I'm aware of my chakras of my feet and knees while walking it is way less difficult. In fact I've seen that the physical world moves to accomodate my footsteps! That simple thing gives me the ability to walk on top of a narrow wall in fact whereas before the discovery of the chakras I was unable to do that. So sensations from the spirit body can be termed "emotion". Sensations from our minds like programmed knee jerk reactions to things can be termed "emotion" also. Further, in my explorations of Christianity I've discovered a lot about what the Bible terms "the flesh". This is misunderstood by the typical Bible College person if not all scholars. It's about lies that the devil has gotten each of us to believe which give him partial control over our flesh and cause us to lose the ability to hear from God. The upshot of the will of the flesh can also result in actions that can be termed "emotion".
Can consciousness arise from a medulla oblongata? a serious question! a medulla oblongata has many many many many more neurons than a slug (for example), and many many many times squared connections but is a slug conscious? i think not! is a medualla oblongata aware of itself? i think not! where does that leave us?? http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11633
Q http://www.thegodtheory.com/contents_pgu.htm Table of Contents The Purpose-Guided Universe The God Theory PREFACE INTRODUCTION Is There Any Chance It Could Come About? A Purpose-Guided Universe Not Intelligent Design Three Different Possibilities CHAPTER 1. Science and Religion An Infinite Number of Universes vs. One Great Intelligence Belief Systems The Problem String Theory Having Faith A Better Notion of God Consciousness Creating Reality CHAPTER 2:Quantum Reality An Ideal Quantum Experiment Waves and Particles The Wavefunction Schroedinger's Cat Wheeler's Delayed Choice Experiment: If You Come to a Fork in the Road... Take It Consciousness CHAPTER 3: The Finely-Tuned Universe A Universe Made for Life The Force of Gravity to the Electric (Coulomb) Force The Nuclear Force The Density of Matter The Dark Matter Ratio The Even Bigger Mystery of Dark Energy Quantum Clumps The Chemistry of Life: Carbon and Oxygen That Ordinary Extraordinary Liquid: Water Which is Heavier? Neutron or Proton What Happened to all the Anti-matter? What to Make of This CHAPTER 4: The Perennial Philosophy The Perennial Philosophy Requisite Conditions Eddington and Einstein Eddington and His Inner Light The Universe Begins to Look More Like a Great Thought than Like a Great Machine CHAPTER 5: Thou Art That A Little Theology Consciousness and Causes Beginning of Time Meister Eckhart Finding God Within The Mystical Experience: "I and the Father are One" CHAPTER 6: The God Theory God and Godhead What Does this Mumbo-jumbo Mean? A Mental Universe The Question of Why If We Are God, Why Don't We Know That? Role of Evolution Does Consciousness Evolve to an Omega Point? CHAPTER 7: Staying Out of Heaven The Standard Model of Life Creation by Subraction God as Timeless Absolute Experiencing Timelessness Mystical vs. Psychedelic Can You Really Train for Enlightenment? A World of Polarity CHAPTER 8: Consciousness and Reality The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle Superseding the Clockwork Universe The Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) Thought Experiment Bohm Quantum Spin Bell's Inequality Locality, Realism and the Leggett Formula CHAPTER 9: The Post-Physics Era The End of the Physics Age The Post-Physics Age The Issue of Consciousness CHAPTER 10: The Primacy of Consciousness Are You Nothing But a Pack of Neurons? Quantum Mechanics Requires Consciousness Shifting Consciousness A Three-way Battle of Beliefs Reason for Hope CHAPTER 11: Where Do Things Stand? Multiverse or Creator? Consciousness and Free Will Evolution Can a Smart Person Believe in God? A Purpose TABLE: The Ten Critical Properties of the Universe BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX UQ