Xref: utzoo comp.ai.philosophy:771 comp.ai.neural-nets:3100 Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,comp.ai.neural-nets Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!ssingh From: ssingh@watserv1.waterloo.edu (Sneaky Sanj ;-) Subject: Re: Continuous vs. discrete Message-ID: <1991Mar26.215728.28875@watserv1.waterloo.edu> Organization: University of Waterloo References: <91082.223501DOCTORJ@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> <1991Mar25.141743.21124@news.larc.nasa.gov> Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1991 21:57:28 GMT Lines: 35 In article magi@utu.fi (Marko Gronroos) writes: > >Yes, but their arrival at the measuring point is quite continuous in >time as well as is their position in the wire and possible effect >(electric or magnetic field). > >> And since all >> neurotransmitters consist of individual molecules, perhaps the brain is also >> really a discrete system. > >Ehm.. No.. The electric fields around cells may have some effect in >their functions, so the nerve cells may be discrete at only a very thin >level between molecular movements and larger scale electrical >behaviour. The mind MUST be discrete. It is a quantum-mechanical machine. This is not to say neurons are at the mercy of quantum forces, just that their construction makes them discrete. When you ensemble average millions of molecules each made up of thousands of atoms, quantum effects become negligible. > The problem with your idea is that you're only thinking about >finite-state quantity, not time or space. That may also be a real problem >in today's connectionism. Time could very well be discrete as well. Something about a "chronon" 10^-23 seconds. Space (?), anybody's guess. Ice. "We're all clones..."-Alice Cooper. -- "No one had the guts... until now!" $anjay $ingh Fire & "Ice" ssingh@watserv1.[u]waterloo.{edu|cdn}/[ca] ROBOTRON Hi-Score: 20 Million Points | A new level of (in)human throughput... !blade_runner!terminator!terminator_II_judgement_day!watmath!watserv1!ssingh!