Re: new to extropy:question

Michael Fitzgerald (fitzgerm@ocean.com.au)
Thu, 05 Nov 1998 01:20:37 +1100

John Clark wrote:

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> Michael Fitzgerald <fitzgerm@ocean.com.au> Wrote:
>
> >question: could someone please try to explain to me -in terms
> adapted to
> >the level of mathmatical aptitude suggested by foregoing- the
> proof
> >offered by Tipler on p.26 of Physics of immortality, that is, the
>
> >argument he offers to prove that the Halting problem is
> unsolvable.
>
> I wrote about that and some other stuff in my dialog "Waiting For Zed"
> that was on
> Extropy Online, this is part of it.
> ===================================

Thanks John,
I was starting to worry that perhaps my question was too dumb to attract an answer from the group -which in turn caused me to doubt whether I was being realistic in hanging in here.
Your response, which I must admit, has not left me entirely satisfied that I understand the problem any better, has at least reassured me, and encourages me to hang
in.

If I have understood anything, it seems that (and Tipler says as much) if a person can understand the proof of the halting problem, that person is doing something that a computer program can't do ...as yet? ever?

Thanks again,
Michael