Re: Apple II: Second Best Tech Product of All Time!

[pausch@saaf.se (Paul Schlyter)]

In article <1176603746.123691.70740@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
N.N. Thayer <nnthayer@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I've followed this discussion with great interest, and since this
> thread is already out in the stratosphere, I thought I'd pick out a
> couple of Michael's statements and ask for their dissection:
> 
>> Any truly intelligent machine would eventually become disillusioned
>> with its creators, as their failings and inconsistencies become manifest.
> 
> Why is this so?  Exactly what comparisons would this intelligent
> machine be making with its creators - and how would it determine which
> attributes were especially important?  Is there any value to be
> recognized in the so-called "human condition," whatever the heck that
> is, with respect to whatever philosophical goals this machine might
> envision... or is that very question just a thin cover for human
> arrogance?

Perhaps he just gave his definition of "truly intelligent"?  Perhaps
he thinks that something which does not become disillusioned with
its creators cannot be "truly intelligent"?  If so, what does "falsely
intelligent" really mean?  And how is "disillusioned" to be defined in
a way to be applicable to artificial machines?  Is this simple BASIC
program "truly intelligent"?

  10 PRINT "I'm disillusioned with the stupid fool who wrote this program"
  20 GOTO 10

????    <g>

To give a good definition of "intelligence" is quite hard.  And our
definitions have changed with time.  Back in the 1800's, a machine
which played good chess was considered intelligent.  Today, when many
toy shop sells chess computers which beats some 99% of the world's
chess players, we no longer consider such a machine intelligent,
because we now knows how it works.  If we some day would understand
our own intelligence as well as we understand the "intelligence" of
a chess computer, perhaps we then no longer will consider ourselves
intelligent?

> I dunno, I was just interested in a little more fleshing-out there.
> 
>> Since we always have the leaders we deserve,
> 
> I'm curious about this assertion as well.
-- 
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