Turing machines can perform an algorithm like an auto-encoding deep neural net, where a picture of a tree could be categorized as a tree in some internal node. Likewise activating that internal node might generate an image of a tree (when the Turing machine dreams).
From: Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> on behalf of Frank Wimberly <wimber...@gmail.com> Reply-To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> Date: Friday, April 26, 2019 at 8:19 PM To: "russ.abb...@gmail.com" <russ.abb...@gmail.com>, The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] A question for tomorrow On the way to Friam I said to Nick. Turing Machines don't know anything. They may store representations of knowledge. I further said that a photograph also represents knowledge. For example, the number of floors of a given building. Most people would be puzzled by the question, "What does a photo know?" There were multiple parallel conversations after we arrived. I don't recall additional discussions about what Turing Machines know. ----------------------------------- Frank Wimberly My memoir: https://www.amazon.com/author/frankwimberly My scientific publications: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank_Wimberly2 Phone (505) 670-9918 On Fri, Apr 26, 2019, 8:06 PM Russ Abbott <russ.abb...@gmail.com<mailto:russ.abb...@gmail.com>> wrote: Nick, I can't believe you are asking such a question -- unless by "know" you mean something very different from the common understanding. No computer knows anything, although it may have lots of stored information. (Information is meant in the Shannon sense.) For example, Oxford defines<https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/knowledge> knowledge as "Facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject." This is distinct from, for example, having access to an encyclopedia--or even having memorized the contents of one. Turing machines, and computers in general, do not have an understanding of anything--even though they may have lots of Shannon-style information (which we understand as) related to some subject. (Like Glen, though, I am interested in the results, if any, of this morning's meeting.) -- Russ Abbott Professor, Computer Science California State University, Los Angeles On Fri, Apr 26, 2019 at 2:38 PM uǝlƃ ☣ <geprope...@gmail.com<mailto:geprope...@gmail.com>> wrote: What was the result of this morning's conversation? On 4/25/19 10:50 PM, Nick Thompson wrote: > What does a Turing Machine know? -- ☣ uǝlƃ ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
