The Ghost in our Machine

[BaalChatzaf]

Here it is, July 12, 2016 in the 21 st  century and we are still haunted by the Ghost of Cartesian Dualism.  To this day, intelligent people are still talking about a non-material, non-physical, non-natural process  taking place in our  all too material  natural bodies.  It is the Mind,  a creature given life by Rene Descartes.  He positively denied that material entities and processes  following  physical laws could  be or produce consciousness.  I am afraid we will be stuck  with this burden until some smart person makes a truly thinking conscious  machine  out of non-living substances provided that the material of the construct obey the laws of thermodynamics.   We will be haunted by Cartesian metaphysics  until that day arrives. 

But there is hope.  Craig Ventner and his team have produced replicating psuedo-DNA  from non-DNA  components.  It is very likely just a matter of time before some smart dude  makes  a living  conscious thing out of non-living  non-conscious parts.    Where are you Mary Shelly?   We need you to write the updated Frankenstein  novel.