PHIL 346 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Human Computer

• School: University of Arizona
• Department: Philosophy Main
• Course: PHIL 346
• Professor: All

Document Summary

The idea behind digital computers they are intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer. Human computer is supposed to be following fixed rues and cannot deviate from them. A digital compute usually contains 1. store (store of information) 2. executive unit (part which carries out the various individual operations involved in a calculation) and 3. control (make sure rules are followed correctly in order) This special property of digital computers, that they can mimic any discrete-state machine, is described by saying that they are universal machines. 6. contrary views on the main question. Now moves onto the argument of the answer to this question. Argument: i believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted.