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A duck is an entire organism with a known genetic code, suspected lineage in the tree of life and defined characteristics. A brain is an organ within another k

A duck is an entire organism with a known genetic code, suspected lineage in the tree of life and defined characteristics. A brain is an organ within another known organism in a differing position in the tree of life with different characteristics. A computer is a device which takes in input via some means and uses input to transform elements that together represent its internal state based on input and prior internal state resulting in output that is the result of both internal state and input arranged in a fashion such that an actor with sufficient knowledge of functioning can manipulate input in order to achieve desired output. A programmer is such an actor. In such a context it appears that a brain is merely programmer and computer and AI is merely the achievement of a sufficiently complex and capable system as to represent the same thing in silicon or whatever medium you prefer. Arguing that such is impossible seems to be merely a failure of imagination.

lurquer 6y ago
Everything is impossible until proven otherwise. You imagine a 'thinking' machine all you want. Doesn't change to reality of the situation that no digital device comes close to thinking. Some find this frustrating. So, they reduce the idea of a brain to a digital computer. Ita a confusion of the Model with that being Modelled. A photo of you, is a representation -- or model -- of you. But, it would be silly to become so enamourwd with the photo that you begin to think YOU are a representation of the photograph.
- michaelmrose 6y ago
  Can you describe what you mean by thinking?
- bawolff 6y ago
  > You imagine a 'thinking' machine all you want. Doesn't change to reality of the situation that no digital device comes close to thinking. Doesn't it though. Someone from the 1800s would probably absolutely think it does. We have computers that can identify what is in a photo, computers that can do complex math problems (pretty sure historically, the ability to do logic was considered first and foremost what made humans intelligent and not simple "animals", its only recently with the rise of computers this has taken a back seat), computers that can translate between languages, etc. That's not the same as being human, there is no sense of self or independence of action (nor are we anywhere close to having that) but we've made amazing, almost unconcievable strives, in only 100 years. So i think its unfair to say computers dont think at all.
  - lurquer 6y ago
    >Doesn't it though. Someone from the 1800s would probably absolutely think it does. Convolutional networks and neural nets in general are cool, but hardly magical. It’s just glorified curve-fitting. A person from the 1800’s would not be all that impressed with the idea. (What’s impressive is the bread-and-butter of it... namely, the technology that enables the millions of simple calculations per millisecond.)

lurquer 6y ago

Everything is impossible until proven otherwise. You imagine a 'thinking' machine all you want. Doesn't change to reality of the situation that no digital device comes close to thinking. Some find this frustrating. So, they reduce the idea of a brain to a digital computer. Ita a confusion of the Model with that being Modelled. A photo of you, is a representation -- or model -- of you. But, it would be silly to become so enamourwd with the photo that you begin to think YOU are a representation of the photograph.

michaelmrose 6y ago
Can you describe what you mean by thinking?
bawolff 6y ago
> You imagine a 'thinking' machine all you want. Doesn't change to reality of the situation that no digital device comes close to thinking. Doesn't it though. Someone from the 1800s would probably absolutely think it does. We have computers that can identify what is in a photo, computers that can do complex math problems (pretty sure historically, the ability to do logic was considered first and foremost what made humans intelligent and not simple "animals", its only recently with the rise of computers this has taken a back seat), computers that can translate between languages, etc. That's not the same as being human, there is no sense of self or independence of action (nor are we anywhere close to having that) but we've made amazing, almost unconcievable strives, in only 100 years. So i think its unfair to say computers dont think at all.
- lurquer 6y ago
  >Doesn't it though. Someone from the 1800s would probably absolutely think it does. Convolutional networks and neural nets in general are cool, but hardly magical. It’s just glorified curve-fitting. A person from the 1800’s would not be all that impressed with the idea. (What’s impressive is the bread-and-butter of it... namely, the technology that enables the millions of simple calculations per millisecond.)