Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!ukc!icdoc!qmc-cs!harlqn!fn From: fn@jung.harlqn.uucp (Mr Beeblebrox) Newsgroups: comp.ai Subject: Re: Simulation vs Reality Message-ID: Date: 25 Apr 89 10:14:25 GMT References: <11314@bcsaic.UUCP> Sender: news@harlqn.UUCP Organization: Phil Knightbridge of Harlequin Ltd, Cambridge, England Lines: 48 In-reply-to: ray@bcsaic.UUCP's message of 19 Apr 89 19:56:27 GMT There has been a certain amount of discussion as to whether a simulation of a meal could be good enough to be in effect a meal, or thereabouts. As with many other simulations how well the simulation fits what it is simulating depends upon the observers' (that's us) view of the simulation. Lets take two examples, The Classic Hurricane Simulation In England we have very few hurricanes therefore for us to 'know that a hurricane has happened, probably elsewhere' we don't need to get wet but we would expect to see our favorite newsreader telling us about the hurricane and we would expect to see some pictures, film etc. These events could be 'simulated' although such effort would probably have to be a major conspiracy. Howerver the real hurricane nedd not happen for *US* (ie. in the UK/Europe) to believe that it did happen. In fact, the only reason why we should dispute the 'evidence' is if counter-evidence suffexted that we do so. The Simulated Meal Syndrome Similar to the hurricane, imagine a computer systemn that could simulate not the meal itself (pictures etc) but can generate all the right signals such that a being, pluged into the system 'experiences' all the signals associated with the eating of a meal (a hypnotist can do a similar thing but relies on accurate description and existing patient memories). The computer system in question would have to know how to generate all the correct sensations and overpower the memory of having been connected to a machine. I admit that these are quite contrived however the point still remains that all simulations be they of animate or inanimate objects rely on their accuracy to succeed and in many cases the accuracy is determined by their expected behaviour where it is *US* who are expecting Phil -- Hye!------------------------------------------------------ Phil (Mr Beeblebrox) Knightbridge Harlequin Ltd, Barrington Hall, Barrington, Cambridgeshire England. "If I don't know I don't know I think I know, If I don't know I know I think I don't know", R D Laing ------------------------------------------------------Bye!