Tina Lindhard’s intervention

In modern times, scientists are posing such questions as, “Can computers become conscious?”, “Can robots think and feel like human beings?”, and so on. Such questions are of foundational importance, and it is necessary to address them based on ontological considerations and related epistemology.

The Indic traditions are rich in their philosophical foundations and their ancient culmination in Vedanta has produced and preserved the deepest thoughts of our forefathers, among whom lived great sages. They considered questions of intelligence and consciousness, causality, epistemology, and their relevance in practical applications. Changes in scientific thinking in the twenty-first century have shifted the frontiers of development more in favour of Vedanta. Intelligence and consciousness have become in themselves very important dimensions of study.

Natural intelligence is an inherent function of cognition. All living organisms naturally display intelligence at a cellular, behavioral, and community level. However, no perfect ontological definition of intelligence exists within the realm of molecular chemistry and physics. On the other hand, computers and machines are being programmed intelligently to execute important tasks. Its applications are found in Robotics, Aerospace engineering, Computers, Medical Aids etc. Some robots have been programmed to even make songs and poems to and imitate intelligent human activities. It is very important to take up a comparative study to examine the difference between two forms of intelligence. This will help us to understand the deeper questions about life and its deeper meaning. The Vedantic traditions clearly guide the thoughtful human being to search in the direction of Spirit (Brahman) for finding true solutions to problems of life. But oftentimes in the conventional approach of science, man’s focus is more or less in the domain of matter to solve the problem of consciousness and life in which he fails to find any rational and concrete understanding. In this conference the organizers would take up the task of posing these questions among the participants and contributors of papers from various background. The location of this conference is Nabadwipa Dham, which is an ancient place of great Vedantic Scholars. Nabadwipa was also very famous as an important center of Nyaya Philosophy. This will provide a perfect platform for the thoughtful scholars to deliberate on these important topics.

You can watch all the lectures here: