Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!spdcc!merk!alliant!linus!mbunix!bwk
From: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Knowledge Representation, A thought experiment
Summary: We are Nature's Consciousness
Keywords: Making amends.
Message-ID: <73510@linus.UUCP>
Date: 11 Oct 89 15:15:49 GMT
References: <357@massey.ac.nz> <2376@munnari.oz.au> <2394@uceng.UC.EDU>
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford, Mass.
Lines: 19

In article <2394@uceng.UC.EDU> dmocsny@uceng.UC.EDU (Daniel Mocsny) writes:

 > In article <2376@munnari.oz.au>, ok@cs.mu.oz.au (Richard O'Keefe) writes:

 > > In article <357@massey.ac.nz>, ARaman@massey.ac.nz (A.V. Raman) writes:

 > > > Hasn't it [Nature] learned from mistakes, just as we do?

 > > No.  Unless she can form intentions, Natura cannot make mistakes.

> How interesting to both personify and de-personify Natura in one sentence!

Einstein observed that Man is part of Nature, too.  Joseph Campbell
suggests that we are Nature's Consciousness.  This sentiment is
also reflected in the Gaia Theory.  So at least a part of Nature is
personifiable and capable of intentional behavior.  I sometimes make
mistakes on behalf of Nature.

--Barry Kort