What is It Like to Be Wintermute? Virtuality and Consciousness

The world around us is becoming more complex and better connected every day. Humans and machines relate among themselves in a network of information and action. Through these relationships human mind and consciousness is changing to accommodate the environmental demands. While humans are becoming technologically augmented, new forms of existing in the world become possible thanks to the electronically connected system. Despite these new developments, human consciousness is yet to be fully understood. Presently, there is no conclusive definition of this phenomenon. In the mean time, the evolution of human consciousness carries on. Thanks to the shifting technology, human existence is increasingly reminiscent of the reality presented in cyberpunk novels. Interestingly, the approach of this literary genre reframes the questions circulating around the subject of consciousness. It is perhaps only through fiction that we are able to contextualize our present position vis-à-vis our technology. This view has far-reaching repercussions in philosophy of mind and technology.