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From: ok@quintus.uucp (Richard A. O'Keefe)
Newsgroups: comp.ai,talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: Artificial Intelligence and Intelligence (and all this fun stuff)
Message-ID: <697@quintus.UUCP>
Date: 18 Nov 88 02:32:31 GMT
References: <484@soleil.UUCP> <88Nov15.170837est.707@neat.ai.toronto.edu> <17847@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> <4714@boulder.Colorado.EDU>
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Organization: Quintus Computer Systems, Inc.
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In article <4714@boulder.Colorado.EDU> hassell@tramp.Colorado.EDU (Christopher Hassell) writes:
>The MOST ticklish concept left would now be old hat.
>       We started with stuff like believing we didn't have the only nice 
>          flat perspective (i.e. heavenly bodies existing, w/round earth)
That has indeed been old hat for >2200 years.

>       The next general milestone was our conceding that we *ain't* at the
>           center of our universe either (This one's still going)
Note that Ptolemaic astronomy did not put the Earth at the centre of
the universe & that the mediaeval perspective could more accurately be
described as "at the bottom of a pit" than "at the centre of the universe".

>       After this was a shocker, we are not separate from animals and the
>           `unintelligent' entities we see around us. (Tough one)
There is a fascinating book called "The Criminal Prosecution and Execution
of Animals" (that's from memory, the book is at home) which was republished
a couple of years ago.  Up until about the 18th century, it turns out that
it was a common occurrence for animals (even a swarm of locusts) to be
tried in court.  This doesn't sound as though premodern Europe thought
there was such a great separation.  How can you possibly try a sow which
ate its piglets for murder unless you believe that it was a responsible
moral being?

History is not only stranger than we imagine, it is _other_ than we imagine.