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Physics takes what we know and extrapolates to what we don't. Logical conclusions based upon what we know, and what we assume must be the case. The best philo
by bb88 7y ago
Physics takes what we know and extrapolates to what we don't. Logical conclusions based upon what we know, and what we assume must be the case.
The best philosophy seeks to do the same thing, and present logical arguments proving or disproving something. Each argument is ideally falsifiable, and like physics, any unknown knowledge is recognized.
And much of physics which though must have been the case has been proved wrong too. I'm looking at you, "Luminiferous Ether".
Particularly fascinating to me was the arguments of AI, and whether consciousness can really be achieved by a computer.
I would start with Searle's Chinese Room: https://www.iep.utm.edu/chineser/ https://www.iep.utm.edu/chineser/
- new_guy 7y agoSearle's Chinese Room is really bad to give as a starting point for someone, it's basically just a homunculus.
- jerf 7y agoThe idea would be to grapple with the question, not just accept someone's answer, even if you agree with it in the end. Scott Aaronson has what is in my opinion so far the definitive take on the subject in https://www.scottaaronson.com/papers/philos.pdf https://www.scottaaronson.com/papers/philos.pdf , section 4. It's not just a homunculus, it's an exponentially large one that can't fit into the universe as we know it. While that doesn't necessarily completely destroy the thought experiment, it does, I think, rather color the discussion, vs. the mental image of some small space we'd normally call a "room".