Re: PHIL/AI: Humongous Lookup Table

Michael Lorrey (retroman@tpk.net)
Wed, 12 Feb 1997 18:53:58 -0500


Max More wrote:
>
> At 04:27 PM 2/12/97 +1000, Mitch wrote:
> >My $.02: the lookup table presents no problem if you regard passing
> >the Turing Test as a likely indication of consciousness or intelligence,
> >but not as a defining criterion of intelligence.
> >
> >Consider the "Thermometer Test" for the presence of heat. If you
> >stick a thermometer in an unknown liquid and the mercury shoots up
> >the column, you have reason to believe that the liquid is hot.
> >But "being hot" is not the same thing as "being disposed to cause
> >mercury to expand", and there are other ways to make mercury rise.
> >
> >In other words: why would anyone think that the Turing Test was
> >foolproof? [snip] (Actually,
> >I would have thought that a functionalist would agree on this
> >count, since functionalism cares about internal causation.)
>
> Well, I'm a functionalist and I agree. For me, the Turing Test can only be
> an indicator, as you say. It really doesn't contain any theory of
> intelligence, except maybe of the kind "if it looks like a dog from the
> outside then it is a dog" kind. The Turing Test was proposed in the days of
> behaviorism. It may be the best we can do for now, but eventually we'll
> have a convincing theory of intelligence and awareness.
>

Unless we accept the idea of a "soul", we must operate under the concept
that our wetware is the sum of our mind. Given this, any operating
system that cannot be distinguished from an intelligent being must be
considered an intelligent being. What people object to is the idea that
a couple gigs of programming whipped up by kids too young to shave can
be compared to what nature has taken billions of years of evolution to
attain. Religious (monotheistic types) people rightly fear AI
technology. If it becomes easy for Dennis the Menace to create an
intelligent race, Jerry Fallwell's monopolistic god's trust has been
busted. Religious libertarianism anyone? Homegrown nukes are nuthin
compared to being able to create and destroy whole races and ecologies
for a power trip.

-- 
TANSTAAFL!!!

Michael Lorrey ------------------------------------------------------------ President retroman@tpk.net Northstar Technologies Agent Lorrey@ThePentagon.com Inventor of the Lorrey Drive Silo_1013@ThePentagon.com

Website: http://www.tpk.net/~retroman/ Now Featuring: Mikey's Animatronic Factory http://www.tpk.net/~retroman/animations.htm My Own Nuclear Espionage Agency (MONEA) MIKEYMAS(tm): The New Internet Holiday Transhumans of New Hampshire (>HNH) ------------------------------------------------------------ Transhumanist, Inventor, Webmaster, Ski Guide, Entrepreneur, Artist, Outdoorsman, Libertarian, Arms Exporter-see below. ------------------------------------------------------------ #!/usr/local/bin/perl-0777---export-a-crypto-system-sig-RC4-3-lines-PERL @k=unpack('C*',pack('H*',shift));for(@t=@s=0..255){$y=($k[$_%@k]+$s[$x=$_ ]+$y)%256;&S}$x=$y=0;for(unpack('C*',<>)){$x++;$y=($s[$x%=256]+$y)%256; &S;print pack(C,$_^=$s[($s[$x]+$s[$y])%256])}sub S{@s[$x,$y]=@s[$y,$x]}