In fact, had you asked me right away, I'd have said I don't know any words starting with "fom". But on some reflection I was able to think of "foment".
Certainly there's some kind of habituation/reflex involved here, where a word falls off in familiarity as you sound it out. I don't know about other kinds of not knowing. :| On 7/28/08, Eric Burton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think I decided pretty quickly that I don't know any words starting > with "foml". > > I don't know if this is a clue > > On 7/28/08, Abram Demski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> It seems like you have some valid points, but I cannot help but point >> out a problem with your question. It seems like any system for pattern >> recognition and/or prediction will have a sensible "I Don't Know" >> state. An algorithm in a published paper might suppress this in an >> attempt to give as reasonable an output as is possible in all >> situations, but it seems like in most such cases it would be easy to >> add. Therefore, where is the problem? >> >> Yet, I follow your comments and to an extent agree... the feeling when >> I don't know something could possibly be related to animal fear >> (though I am not sure), and the second time I encounter the same thing >> is certainly different (because I remember the previous not-knowing, >> so I at least have that info for context this time). >> >> But I think the issue might nonetheless be non-fundamental, because >> algorithms typically can easily report their not knowing. >> >> --Abram >> >> On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 2:58 PM, Brad Paulsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> wrote: >>> All, >>> >>> Here's a question for you: >>> >>> What does fomlepung mean? >>> >>> If your immediate (mental) response was "I don't know." it means you're >>> not >>> a slang-slinging Norwegian. But, how did your brain produce that >>> "feeling >>> of not knowing"? And, how did it produce that feeling so fast? >>> >>> Your brain may have been able to do a massively-parallel search of your >>> entire memory and come up "empty." But, if it does this, it's >>> subconscious. >>> No one to whom I've presented the above question has reported a >>> conscious >>> "feeling of searching" before having the conscious feeling of not >>> knowing. >>> >>> It could be that your brain keeps a "list of things I don't know." I >>> tend >>> to think this is the case, but it doesn't explain why your brain can >>> react >>> so quickly with the feeling of not knowing when it doesn't know it >>> doesn't >>> know (e.g., the very first time it encounters the word "fomlepung"). >>> >>> My intuition tells me the feeling of not knowing when presented with a >>> completely novel concept or event is a product of the "Danger, Will >>> Robinson!", reptilian part of our brain. When we don't know we don't >>> know >>> something we react with a feeling of not knowing as a survival response. >>> Then, having survived, we put the thing not known at the head of our >>> list >>> of "things I don't know." As long as that thing is in this list it >>> explains >>> how we can come to the feeling of not knowing it so quickly. >>> >>> Of course, keeping a large list of "things I don't know" around is >>> probably >>> not a good idea. I suspect such a list will naturally get smaller >>> through >>> atrophy. You will probably never encounter the fomlepung question again, >>> so >>> the fact that you don't know what it means will become less and less >>> important and eventually it will drop off the end of the list. And... >>> >>> Another intuition tells me that the list of "things I don't know", might >>> generate a certain amount of cognitive dissonance the resolution of which >>> can only be accomplished by seeking out new information (i.e., >>> "learning")? >>> If so, does this mean that such a list in an AGI could be an important >>> element of that AGI's "desire" to learn? From a functional point of >>> view, >>> this could be something as simple as a scheduled background task that >>> checks >>> the "things I don't know" list occasionally and, under the right >>> circumstances, "pings" the AGI with a pang of cognitive dissonance from >>> time >>> to time. >>> >>> So, what say ye? >>> >>> Cheers, >>> >>> Brad >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------- >>> agi >>> Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now >>> RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ >>> Modify Your Subscription: >>> https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; >>> Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com >>> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------- >> agi >> Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now >> RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ >> Modify Your Subscription: >> https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; >> Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com >> > ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=108809214-a0d121 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
