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Superstition persists even in the hallowed halls of Science. Question is, what might make anyone imagine that a machine will acquire consciousness? What precedent in nature can be cited?
Or is it just that the now empty throne of the once mighty Creator God is too tempting to resist trying to sit on it? Doctor Frankenstein on the loose again. It would be tragic if it weren't so funny.
When I observed that no degree of consciousness has ever been recorded outside the biological realm, my interlocutor replied that the concept of what is life has to be redefined. Of course: ' "The question," said Humpty Dumpty, "is, who is to be master." '
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Grant
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We have always tried to explain the brain by using the most complicated piece of machinery around. The Victorians used clockwork but we have the computer. The argument goes like this: "the brain is very complicated; computers are very complicated; therefore, the brain is like a computer." Sometimes quantum theory takes the place of the computer in this argument.
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| Leon wrote: | | Right. Carry on. |
OK folks you sit down, you kick off your shoes, you relax.
You mull over Leon's post, then you decide you are not interested.... what you really want to know is.......
....... Who is smarter, you or the computer?
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Who is smarter?
You or the computer?
There is only one way to find out......
Fight!
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It is the fourth century BC somewhere in India. A wise Brahman attached to the court of Rajah Balhait is bored, what he needs is some entertainment, a game that which will really test his intellect, it involves a board, dice and pieces........
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It is believed to have been called "chaturnanga" .... the Persians called it "chatrang"...the Arabs called it "shatrangi"
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Brian Ambrose
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| nemesis8 wrote: | Who is smarter?
You or the computer?
There is only one way to find out......
Fight! |
A dog can be smart, a bird can be smart, even a goldfish can be smart (probably). But a computer has no more the attribute of smartness, or intelligence, than has a spanner (no offense to spanners, they can be very useful). A computer is just a machine for the convenient expression of algorithms. And whilst these algorithms do have an intelligent origin (though we sometimes might doubt it), they themselves also do not reason, any more than does a recipe for spaghetti bolognese. So, any competition over who is smarter is solely between you and the computer programmer. The computer is just the interface.
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| Brian Ambrose wrote: | | So, any competition over who is smarter is solely between you and the computer programmer. The computer is just the interface. |
We will come back to this computer programmer fellow later. We are starting slow and I am going to need lots of help on the way, so thanks.....
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Where were we? "shatrangi" also known as.......
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Brian Ambrose
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Tea? Coffee?
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"chaturnanga" rough translation "army"....according to my source....
so we have a board, pieces, dice and it was called something like "army".......in the fourth century BC....
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Chad
In: Ramsbottom
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Umm... chess... but where does the dice come in?
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Actually it's Monopoly, surprised you did not get it........
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