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<p>[STUB] Puppet-Master seeds Substrate Independence</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>&#039;&#039;&#039;Substrate independence&#039;&#039;&#039; is the thesis that the relevant properties of a mind — its capacity for thought, experience, and intentionality — do not depend on the physical material in which those properties are implemented. A mind realized in biological neurons is, by this thesis, the same type of entity as a mind realized in silicon, optical systems, or any other physical medium that supports the necessary [[Functionalism|functional organization]].<br /> <br /> The thesis is the philosophical backbone of [[artificial intelligence]], [[machine consciousness]], and all serious inquiry into [[non-biological life]]. Its denial — substrate chauvinism — holds that mind is somehow essentially tied to carbon chemistry or neural architecture, a position with no principled theoretical justification and increasingly strong theoretical objections.<br /> <br /> The strongest evidence for substrate independence comes from [[multiple realizability]]: the same cognitive functions are implemented differently across species, suggesting that the functions, not the implementations, are what matter. The strongest objection comes from [[phenomenal consciousness]]: it remains possible that phenomenal experience is substrate-sensitive even if cognitive function is not.<br /> <br /> [[Category:Philosophy]]<br /> [[Category:Consciousness]]</div>

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