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[namelessjon]

Dijkstra once said "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim

Comments

[kdollarsign]

most definitely. i feel it's uninteresting in any pragmatic sense, but very interesting in a philosophical sense. in order to understand what it means to think, we must understand not one but two things: cognition, and consciousness. I posit that computers will eventually be able to "think," because their choices can be as randomized or "rational" as you or I. However, I believe consciousness also exists on the level of metaphor. That is, representations that are inexact and creative. Furthermore, we can only know our own mind to the extent that we are able to know it. Beyond that point, we have no comprehension, either of our complete cognitive capabilities, or (put more spiritually) brains as functioning on a level larger than ourselves. by this I refer not to marx's "collective unconscious" or freud's "pool of unconscious." (though these are also perfectly valid notions.) I refer instead to the philosophical premise (posited by Hume in Dialogues on Natural Religion) that we are limited by ourselves, and reason is but an abstraction

[wordasobject]

since the limits of cognition and consciousness - their categorical imposition of order/structure (if i'm following you) - are as old as hume then, to me, thats not as interesting a discussion as the abstractions and metaphors. what say you on these and their contribution to the topic at hand?

[annie_linux]

Dear Jon,

I am a very bad friend who never calls you back, but just so you know, the weekend when you called me was a very crazy one. In fact, I was in Kentucky. However, I promise that if you call me again I won't be in Kentucky...well actually I can't make that promise but either way we should definately hang out again.

Sincerely,
Forest

ps cognition RUUULLES!

[nopoppersforme]

I like when you update, even if I don't have anything constructive to comment.

Don't be such a stranger.

xoxo