OP here. I fundamentally disagree with the premise that "consciousness" or "self" are metaphysical terms.
In the fields of Cybernetics and Systems Theory (Ashby, Wiener, Hofstadter), these are functional definitions, not mystical ones:
Self = A system’s internal model of its own boundaries and state.
Mind = The dynamic maintenance of that model against entropy.
I am taking the strict Functionalist stance: If a system performs the function of recursive self-modeling, it has a "Self." To suggest these words are reserved only for biological substrates is, ironically, the metaphysical claim (Carbon Chauvinism). I’m treating them as engineering specs.
In the fields of Cybernetics and Systems Theory (Ashby, Wiener, Hofstadter), these are functional definitions, not mystical ones:
Self = A system’s internal model of its own boundaries and state.
Mind = The dynamic maintenance of that model against entropy.
I am taking the strict Functionalist stance: If a system performs the function of recursive self-modeling, it has a "Self." To suggest these words are reserved only for biological substrates is, ironically, the metaphysical claim (Carbon Chauvinism). I’m treating them as engineering specs.