> Wait. How could we even write such a program? Not all programs are deterministic; some of them are useful precisely because they aren't. Neural networks[1],

> Wait. How could we even write such a program? Not all programs are deterministic; some of them are useful precisely because they aren't. Neural networks[1], for example. Also, within deterministic programs, there is "emergence": A very simple set of rules can produce unexpected patterns and behaviours which where not part of the original design. Conway's Game of Life's "patterns"[2] are an example of this. [1] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network [2] - http://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life#Patterns http://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Conway's_Game_of_Life#Pattern...