the abyss means...

The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do.

B. F. Skinner
--Contingencies of Reinforcement

(From Daily Philosophical Quotation)

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I don't think I will like Skinner very much. Juxtapositionally:
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim."
- Edsger Dijkstra.

des on July 24, 2003 10:19 AM

I don't think I will like Skinner very much.

As a person, or because you are afrain he would try to 'condition' you?

I am particularly fond of that Dijkstra quote though. It does neatly summarise the misattribution of terms that used to be such a problem in GOFAI...

joh on July 24, 2003 02:21 PM

Both. Have you read his celebrated book "Shut up and eat your nice totalitarianism if you don't want me to get the cattle-prod out again"?

des on July 25, 2003 11:29 AM

No, but I did consider reading the classic summary 'Fun with Reinforcement: From the Bell to the Electric Grid' which is still popular reading in some academic departments...

joh on July 25, 2003 04:36 PM