Xref: utzoo comp.ai:5597 sci.philosophy.tech:1940 Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!turing.cs.rpi.edu!adamsf From: adamsf@turing.cs.rpi.edu (Frank Adams) Newsgroups: comp.ai,sci.philosophy.tech Subject: Re: Thought and Utility Message-ID: Date: 18 Jan 90 05:17:26 GMT References: <31821@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> <0cTG02uf793w01@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <7462@cs.utexas.edu> <5cK702mf795h01@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> <1213@oravax.UUCP> <1551@skye.ed.ac.uk> Reply-To: adamsf@turing.cs.rpi.edu (Frank Adams) Organization: RPI CS Dept. Lines: 12 In article <1551@skye.ed.ac.uk> jeff@aiai.UUCP (Jeff Dalton) writes: >But suppose you're right and it is just a matter of degree. That may >not tell us all that much in the end. [...] >Our current theories may lead us to say there aren't any interesting >effects as we move away from the thermostat case, but why should we >suppose those theories are correct? No, you're missing the point. Of course there *are* interesting effects as we move away from the thermostat case -- talking with people is *much* more interesting than talking with thermostats. But if the difference *is* only one of degree, the strong AI principle is validated, and it is possible to make computers that think.