Xref: utzoo comp.ai:2787 talk.philosophy.misc:1674 Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!cornell!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!cadre!geb From: geb@cadre.dsl.PITTSBURGH.EDU (Gordon E. Banks) Newsgroups: comp.ai,talk.philosophy.misc Subject: Re: Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence Message-ID: <1841@cadre.dsl.PITTSBURGH.EDU> Date: 5 Dec 88 14:02:41 GMT References: <562@metapsy.UUCP> <2732@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <563@metapsy.UUCP> Reply-To: geb@cadre.dsl.pittsburgh.edu (Gordon E. Banks) Organization: Decision Systems Lab., Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA. Lines: 24 In article <563@metapsy.UUCP> sarge@metapsy.UUCP (Sarge Gerbode) writes: >I don't need a mechanistic explanation of my own behavior (much of >it, at least), because I am directly aware of causing it by >intention. Furthermore, the most major observable difference between >myself and a machine is that the latter is explainable in mechanistic >terms, whereas I am not. Neither of these two propositions can be demonstrated reliably. The behaviorists have shown that behavior which subjectively seems to us to be caused by intention can be determined (even hypnotists can demonstrate this), therefore your impressions are unreliable. In addition, a complex enough neural network can demonstrate behavior the cause of which is not immediately apparent. Obviously no network has been invented as complex as the human brain, and until one is we won't be able to answer the question experimentally. Those bothered by possible loss of free will should recall that in a system complex enough, there is room for the possibility of indeterminacy, be it a biological system or whatnot. I will ask Serge the same questions I asked Gilbert: if humans are not a machine, what elements are added to the body (which seems to be a physical machine as far as we can tell) which make it otherwise? Are these material or immaterial? Is there some aspect of human beings which does not obey the laws of nature?