In his 1968 masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" Stanley Kubrick predicted the problem that might arise if the humankind continues developing complex technology without understanding what consciousness is and how it is created.
Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, the leading science fiction author of that time, wrote the script in which they, fifty years ahead of their time, foresaw the problem that preoccupies many scientists today: should we continue developing computers and artificial intelligence without sufficient understanding of the material origin of consciousness?
In this Kubrick's cult movie, a spaceship is controlled by a computer Hal 9000. Hal is supposed to be faultless, but during the voyage it starts to show signs of its own consciousness. Soon, it stops agreeing with people's commands. As the crewmen and Hal try to outwit each other, the computer, losing the battle, begins to show emotions, such as fear that it will be deactivated. This interesting story, which in 1968 seemed to be science fiction, has become a real fear of many today's scientists.
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In nature, there are so-called "emergent phenomena" which appear spontaneously when something in their base becomes complicated enough. Thus, wind waves appear in a big grain field thanks to the great number of ears, while flocks of birds that are big enough create beautiful wavy shapes in the air. There is a fear that consciousness might also be an emergent phenomenon and a result of a huge number of neurons, their interrelations and electric impulses in the