# Humanity May Never Recognize a Conscious Computer by Todd E. Feinberg > “I believe the human race will never decide that an advanced computer possesses consciousness. Only in science fiction will a person be charged with murder if they unplug a PC.” > **— Todd E. Feinberg**, *Edge Annual Question, “What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?”, 2005* ## Sources and Context - **Direct full source and exact passage:** [Edge Annual Question, “What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?”, 2005](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11404) — Feinberg explicitly presents this as a belief he could not prove. His following argument holds that consciousness requires living biological substance; the quote records a contested historical position, not a settled scientific result. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Edge|Edge]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Science of Digital Consciousness|Science of Digital Consciousness]] - **Article:** [[articles/Host-Indexed Autonomy|Host-Indexed Autonomy]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Artificial Consciousness|Artificial Consciousness]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “I believe the human race will never decide that an advanced computer possesses consciousness. Only in science fiction will a person be charged with murder if they unplug a PC.” — Todd E. Feinberg, Edge Annual Question, “What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?”, 2005 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-todd-feinberg-humanity-conscious-computer-belief ```