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Full Idea
As long as your homunculi are more stupid and ignorant than the intelligent agent they compose, the nesting of homunculi within homunculi can be finite, bottoming out, eventually, with agents so unimpressive they can be replaced by machines.
Clarification
'Homunculi' are little men
Gist of Idea
Intelligent agents are composed of nested homunculi, of decreasing intelligence, ending in machines
Source
Daniel C. Dennett (Sweet Dreams [2005], Ch.6)
Book Ref
Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Sweet Dreams' [MIT 2005], p.137
A Reaction
[Dennett first proposed this in 'Brainstorms' 1978]. This view was developed well by Lycan. I rate it as one of the most illuminating ideas in the modern philosophy of mind. All complex systems (like aeroplanes) have this structure.
| 7654 | What matters about neuro-science is the discovery of the functional role of the chemistry [Dennett] |
| 7655 | The work done by the 'homunculus in the theatre' must be spread amongst non-conscious agencies [Dennett] |
| 7656 | I don't deny consciousness; it just isn't what people think it is [Dennett] |
| 7657 | Intelligent agents are composed of nested homunculi, of decreasing intelligence, ending in machines [Dennett] |
| 7658 | Obviously there can't be a functional anaylsis of qualia if they are defined by intrinsic properties [Dennett] |