Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!iuvax!ndcheg!uceng!dmocsny
From: dmocsny@uceng.UC.EDU (daniel mocsny)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Intelligence / Consciousness Test for Machines (Neural-Nets)???
Summary: AI and the Christian world view
Message-ID: <311@uceng.UC.EDU>
Date: 7 Oct 88 01:20:08 GMT
References: <1141@usfvax2.EDU> <828@cseg.uucp>
Organization: Univ. of Cincinnati, College of Engg.
Lines: 60

In article <828@cseg.uucp>, cdc@cseg.uucp (C. David Covington) writes:
> I must expose my world view as predominantly Christian at this
> point.  My belief in a Supreme Being places my view of man above all other
> animals and therefore above any emulation of man by machine.  I say this not
> so much to convert the masses to my point of view but to clarify that there
> are people that think this way and this allows no place for conscious
> machines.  

On the contrary, some people who think this way believe that conscious
machines are essential for literal fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. I
quote from Revelation chapter 13, verses 11, 13, and 15, NASB:

``And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.''

``And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out
of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.''

``And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do
not worship the image of the beast to be killed.''

(Unfortunately, the Apostle John was not kind enough to tell us whether
the image of the beast was of the logic machine or connectionist
paradigms.) I too claim to espouse a Christian world view, but I do
not know what to make of John's Revelation. Neither can I find any
clear description in the Bible of the limits of human capability.
On the contrary, in Genesis 11, verses 5-8, we read:

``And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the
sons of men had built.''
``And the Lord said, `Behold, they are one people, and they all
have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now
nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come,
let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not
understand one another's speech.' ''
``So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the
whole earth; and they stopped building the city.''

(Had the sons of men already invented computers by that time, no
doubt they could have confused their own languages without divine
intervention.)

One might conclude from these snippets that human capability has
no real limits, and that God takes a rather dim view of us reaching
too far. How far is ``too far,'' is, however, not clear. I see no
justification for proscribing any particular avenues of investigation,
especially as many of us insist on continuing to develop physical
and mental illnesses, fall into poverty, commit acts of violence,
and generally be unhappy.

We are still light years away from having any real idea of what is
going on between our ears. However, every year we hear about yet
another link between a new behavior pattern and some physico-chemical
or genetic factor. How much can we ultimately explain and emulate?
Will belief in the Soul become an article of faith only, with no
explanatory role to play? Will Dualism become the modern day
horse, a luxury to keep around, stripped of its former utility?

Dan Mocsny