What is the problem with the Turing test's philosophical move as described?

What is the problem with the Turing test's philosophical move as described?

• A. We can't directly observe another mind; we infer consciousness from behavior.
• B. Minds can be measured solely by external displays.
• C. Consciousness is irrelevant to intelligence.
• D. Computers can never imitate humans closely enough.

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is that you can judge intelligence by how a system behaves externally, effectively treating conscious experience as unnecessary. The problem with this move is that it defines intelligence in terms of outward performance alone and leaves internal mental life out of the picture. In other words, a machine could imitate human-like conversation well enough to fool a judge without actually understanding or having conscious experiences. Critics argue this ignores important distinctions between what a system seems to do and what it genuinely experiences or understands, which is why the move is seen as problematic. The point is that intelligence might involve more than just behavior—potentially including conscious states, understanding, or intentionality—and simply dismissing consciousness as irrelevant risks praising deception over true cognitive properties.

The idea being tested is that you can judge intelligence by how a system behaves externally, effectively treating conscious experience as unnecessary. The problem with this move is that it defines intelligence in terms of outward performance alone and leaves internal mental life out of the picture. In other words, a machine could imitate human-like conversation well enough to fool a judge without actually understanding or having conscious experiences. Critics argue this ignores important distinctions between what a system seems to do and what it genuinely experiences or understands, which is why the move is seen as problematic. The point is that intelligence might involve more than just behavior—potentially including conscious states, understanding, or intentionality—and simply dismissing consciousness as irrelevant risks praising deception over true cognitive properties.