Posted on 07/30/2002 5:45:59 PM PDT by sourcery
And?
Iteration? Try function.
Though Dylan Thomas? Now there was a poet. Try writing a villanelle sometime. It's not easy either.
Do insane androids dream of Looney Tune sheep?
I think we are all resonant fractal holograms emanating from what passes for “dream state” in the Mind of God.
Wow, this is a real golden oldie!
There are acres of good stuff on a host of websites and links here.
Fabozz and B-Chan, you both make interesting arguments. I tend more to B-Chan’s point of view, especially on the assertion that the AI people have never demonstrated the slightest ability to simulate consciousness, and that, in fact, no one knows what consciousness is. I part ways with B-Chan in that I don’t believe that if consciousness is difficult to understand then it couldn’t have evolved through natural selection. In other words, I believe that consciousness can be both beyond the scope of computer simulation and a product of natural selection.
I read an interesting story in Analog or Azimov mag recently in which the main character was a house AI (an AI built into the family home, charged with keeping home-life smooth and efficient) and the writer did an excellent job of illustrating the differences between real emotion and simulated emotion. I’m going to look that story up and post it’s name here in this thread. Anyone interested in this subject will love that story.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading both of your posts. Very interesting stuff.
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