Peter Scherzer

About

Peter Scherzer is a provocative thinker in the philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence, best known for his incisive work on consciousness, feeling, and the limits of machine cognition. His most influential contribution, the 2008 paper “First, Scale Up to the Robotic Turing Test, Then Worry about Feeling” (56 citations), challenges the field to prioritize functional benchmarks—like passing a comprehensive robotic Turing test—before grappling with the hard problem of qualia. Scherzer argues that consciousness is fundamentally feeling, and that explaining why some cognitive functions are felt rather than merely executed remains an unresolved puzzle. He warns against assigning telekinetic powers to feeling, grounding his critique in empirical evidence. By reframing the debate around scalable, testable milestones, Scherzer has shaped discussions on artificial consciousness and the philosophy of emotion. His work bridges cognitive science, robotics, and metaphysics, urging researchers to build first and philosophize later. For students and scholars, Scherzer offers a rigorous, no-nonsense roadmap for tackling one of science’s deepest mysteries.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   First, scale up to the robotic Turing test, then worry about feeling

   56 citations · 2008
2. 2
   First, Scale Up to the Robotic Turing Test, Then Worry about Feeling.

   2 citations · 2007

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links