Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!venera.isi.edu!smoliar From: smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu (Stephen Smoliar) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: Plaiting a Plexus of Processes Keywords: categories, definitions, abstractions, S-R Message-ID: <13650@venera.isi.edu> Date: 26 May 90 15:48:00 GMT References: <13401@venera.isi.edu> <13516@venera.isi.edu> Sender: news@venera.isi.edu Reply-To: smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu (Stephen Smoliar) Organization: USC-Information Sciences Institute Lines: 53 In article kp@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Ken Presting) writes: >In article <13516@venera.isi.edu> smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu (Stephen Smoliar) >writes: > >So far, the only answer has been, "Innate Universal Grammar". Not a >very satisfying answer, I think we agree. We need to improve our >ability to detect repetitions of the same wrong answer, even when it is >camouflaged in neologisms. > >>"By long custom, social discourse in Cambridge is intended to impart and only >>rarely to obtain information. People talk; it is not expected that anyone >>will listen. A respectful show of attention is all that is required until >>the listener takes over in his or her turn. No one has ever been known to >>repeat what he or she has heard at a party or other social gathering." >> John Kenneth Galbraith >> A TENURED PROFESSOR > >I hope you're starting to understand why I hate this epigram so much - >it describes a type of interpersonal behavior in which conscious thought >is *irrelevant*. I know it's realistic - that's the problem! > > >Ken Presting ("Read any *good* books lately?") Of course, one criterion for goodness is to capture a situation SO accurately that it is painful to the reader. Provocation means the reader is paying attention! I think what is bothering you is that Galbraith is describing an "intellectual" community. However, what he is describing is an interesting response to an information overload. In other words when we are confronted with more information than we can handle, we just shut off the inputs. We can continue to provide output according to a rather simple social protocol. What makes matters interesting is that, as long as we follow the protocol, we shall continue to be PERCEIVED AS INTELLIGENT (even with all cognitive inputs shut down)! What does THAT say about Turing's test in our brave new world? ========================================================================= USPS: Stephen Smoliar USC Information Sciences Institute 4676 Admiralty Way Suite 1001 Marina del Rey, California 90292-6695 Internet: smoliar@vaxa.isi.edu "By long custom, social discourse in Cambridge is intended to impart and only rarely to obtain information. People talk; it is not expected that anyone will listen. A respectful show of attention is all that is required until the listener takes over in his or her turn. No one has ever been known to repeat what he or she has heard at a party or other social gathering." John Kenneth Galbraith A TENURED PROFESSOR