Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnewsj!jwi
From: jwi@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Discovering What Nature Wants
Summary: Nature speaks, if only one has ears to listen
Keywords: Consciousness and Intentionality.
Message-ID: <1449@cbnewsj.ATT.COM>
Date: 16 Oct 89 13:21:59 GMT
References: <357@massey.ac.nz> <2376@munnari.oz.au> <2394@uceng.UC.EDU> <74029@linus.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 29

| | | Barry W. Kort writes:
| 
| | | Einstein observed that Man is part of Nature, too.
| 
| | Richard O'Keefe writes:
| |
| | From the rather banal observation that human beings exist,
| | no conclusions can be drawn about whether the scheme of
| | things can make mistakes UNTIL we have first established
| | that "is able to form intentions" (or some such property)
| | is one of the few properties which does transfer like that. 
| | This has not been done.
| 
| Barry W. Kort writes:
|
| Are you telling me that you disbelieve that human beings are
| capable of intentional behavior?

No, he's telling you that if we can't establish "intention" on the part
of Nature, we can't determine if a "mistake" has been made (i.e., it might
have been intentional). Therefore, we have to assume "stupidity" on the 
part of humanity. It's the only way to account for the observed facts.

Jim Winer -- The opinions expressed here are not necessarily
	     and do not represent nor in any way imply
	     of any other sane person and especially not
	     employer.
"I'd like to see this petty bickering ended so we could get to some 
more important bickering." -- David Bedno