Hi Hector,

>> You may say the hypothesis of neural hypercomputing valid in the sense
>> that it helps guide you to interesting, falsifiable theories.  That's
>> fine.  But, then you  must admit that the hypothesis of souls could be
>> valid in the same sense, right?  It could guide some other people to
>> interesting, falsifiable theories -- even though, in itself, it stands
>> outside the domain of scientific validation/falsification.
>>
>
> I understand the point, but I insist that it is not that trivial. You
> could  apply the same argument against the automated proof of the
> four-color theorem. Since there is no human capable of verifying it in
> a lifetime (and even if a group of people try to verify it, no single
> mind would ever have the intellectual capacity to get convinced by its
> own), then the four-color proof is not science...

So, the distinction here is that

-- in one case, **no possible finite set of observations** can verify or
falsify the hypothesis at hand [hypercomputing]

-- in the other case, some finite set of observations could verify or
falsify the hypothesis at hand ... but this observation set wouldn't
fit into the mind of a certain observer O [four color theorem]

So, to simplify a bit, do I define "X has direct scientific meaning" as

"I can personally falsify X"

or as

"Some being could potentially falsify X; and I can use science
to distinguish those being capable of falsifying X from those
that are incapable"

??

If the former, then the four color theorem isn't human science

If the latter, it is...

I choose the latter...

ben


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agi
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