"Answering the question “What’s wrong with this patient given these set of symptoms and this family history?” turns out to be a natural fit for the computer."

"Answering the question “What’s wrong with this patient given these set of symptoms and this family history?” turns out to be a natural fit for the computer." Well, wake me up when the natural-fit question becomes "What’s wrong with this planet given these set of eco-symptoms and this social history?" I'd really like to see what the answer might be. A Post Scriptum Edit/Addition Below ;) The IBM Watson system that recently won on Jeopardy is thoroughly probabilistic and statistical --Norvig (see news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2591154) In a future far, far away when humanity will have gained experience with millions of planets, stars, and human colonies and space-castaway societies - maybe then - IBM Watson will be able to answer my question... Submerging in cryogenic sleep... see you later... <yawning>