Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!mordor!joyce!ames!mailrus!uflorida!ukma!rutgers!bellcore!wind!ackley
From: ackley@wind.bellcore.com (David H Ackley)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Artificial intelligence and laughter
Summary: humor
Keywords: laughter
Message-ID: <11482@bellcore.bellcore.com>
Date: 31 Oct 88 22:42:44 GMT
References: <448@soleil.UUCP>
Sender: news@bellcore.bellcore.com
Reply-To: ackley@wind.UUCP (David H Ackley)
Organization: Bellcore, Morristown, NJ
Lines: 28

In article <448@soleil.UUCP> peru@soleil.UUCP (Dave Peru) writes:
>However, if I'm wrong, any program that executes the "how" of how we think
>must have the ability to laugh.

In fact, the whole "intelligence" concept just falls apart without humor.
Consider this proof: 
	People with no sense of humor are stupid. 
	QED.

I used to fantasize about titling my dissertation "Consciousness and
Humor".  That was before I had actually done any work, of course.  You
don't want to know the real final title.

Girdle's Humor Incompleteness Theorem guarantees that no finite,
effective decision procedure can recognize ALL and ONLY humorous
inputs.  You have to choose between McMahonism and Ayatollahism.

>Infinity is a big concept.

Recent studies reveal infinity is actually a rather small concept,
as concepts go.  Just about a size 6 petite.  You want to talk BIG
concepts, you're talking the four F's.

| David Ackley   Cognitive Science Research Group |
|  --==++==--    Bell Communications Research Inc.|
| "To state is           ackley@flash.bellcore.com|
|     to overstate"            ...!bellcore!ackley|
	-David Ackley
	 ackley@bellcore.com