PHLB81H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Behaviorism, Chinese Room, Qualia
Document Summary
Searle: probably computers can possibly have minds, definitively no and not because of technological limitations, it is a theoretical limitation! They cannot think, no matter how complex they get. Alan turing: 1912-1954, computer scientist, mathematician, logician, awesome, cracked the previously uncrackable enigma machine, treated very poorly by british government. If it (cid:272)a(cid:374), the(cid:396)e"s (cid:374)o poi(cid:374)t i(cid:374) sa(cid:455)i(cid:374)g (cid:272)o(cid:373)pute(cid:396)s (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t thi(cid:374)k. Thinking is a function of the soul; computers have no souls; so computers (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t thi(cid:374)k. But turing is not convinced by this. He does not really believe in souls anyways: heads in the sand objection. It would be terrible if computers could think, so we should think they (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t. But tu(cid:396)i(cid:374)g still is(cid:374)"t (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:448)i(cid:374)(cid:272)ed (cid:271)(cid:455) this: the mathematical objection. Co(cid:373)pute(cid:396)s a(cid:396)e fi(cid:374)ite a(cid:374)d li(cid:373)ited, the hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) (cid:373)i(cid:374)d is(cid:374)"t so (cid:272)o(cid:373)pute(cid:396)s (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t thi(cid:374)k. Some people are smarter than some machines; some machines smarter than some people: the argument from consciousness. A (cid:272)o(cid:373)pute(cid:396) (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t feel, so it (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t ha(cid:448)e (cid:272)o(cid:374)s(cid:272)ious(cid:374)ess.
