Frank,
Now THAT’s an example of a break through. If the next generation just married Alexa (“Yes, Matthew. I thought you would never ask. When you like to tie the knot?”), that would settle the environmental problem pretty quick. Nick Nicholas Thompson Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology Clark University <mailto:thompnicks...@gmail.com> thompnicks...@gmail.com <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ From: Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> On Behalf Of Frank Wimberly Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2020 6:44 AM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Warring Darwinians for Glen, Steve My grandson uses his Echo Dot extensively. A soft female voice answers his questions about spelling, arithmetic, geography, etc. The other day he asked, understandably, "Alexa, will you marry me?" She said, "I've decided to wait until Mars is colonized before making that commitment." Good thinking. --- Frank C. Wimberly 140 Calle Ojo Feliz, Santa Fe, NM 87505 505 670-9918 Santa Fe, NM On Tue, May 5, 2020, 5:39 AM Prof David West <profw...@fastmail.fm <mailto:profw...@fastmail.fm> > wrote: Came across this yesterday afternoon: "Psychology is not a science because it is too difficult. The scientific mind is usually orderly, with a natural love for order. It resents and tends to ignore fields in which order is not readily apparent. It gravitates to fields in which order is easily found such as the physical sciences, and leaves more complex fields to those who play by ear, as it were. Thus we have a rigourous science of thermodynamics but are not like to have a science of psychodynamics for many years to come." >From a Robert A. Heinlein book, Sixth Column, I read when I was an >impressionable child. Not that he is correct, but I see where my antipathy to >some science comes from. davew On Tue, May 5, 2020, at 5:27 AM, Prof David West wrote: Allow Nick to say "a computer behaves as if it is thinking, therefore it is thinking." How does a computer behave? Or, what is a computer's behavior? I am looking at my computer - actually four of them (iPhone, tablet, laptop, and desktop) and the only behavior I see any of them exhibiting is precisely identical to the behavior of the glass paperweight that also occupies space on my desk. What is this thinking behavior y'all are ascribing to the computer? Am I the only one that cannot see it? davew On Mon, May 4, 2020, at 9:34 PM, thompnicks...@gmail.com <mailto:thompnicks...@gmail.com> wrote: Yup. That’s what he would say. What persuades you that a super competent computer can’t think? Can a dog think? How would a Martian convince you that it (he, she) can think? Nick Nicholas Thompson Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology Clark University <mailto:thompnicks...@gmail.com> thompnicks...@gmail.com <https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/> https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ From: Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com <mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com> > On Behalf Of Frank Wimberly Sent: Monday, May 4, 2020 9:08 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam@redfish.com <mailto:friam@redfish.com> > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Warring Darwinians for Glen, Steve Maybe I missed something that makes this redundant but if a highschool student asked me what the hard problem is I would say: There appears to be no limit to how competent computers can be. They seem to be able to do just about anything that people think requires thought. But I am persuaded that they can't think. What makes the difference between thinking people and hypercompetent computers? Nick would say if it behaves as if it thinks then it thinks. I think. Frank On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 7:50 PM Steven A Smith <sasm...@swcp.com <mailto:sasm...@swcp.com> > wrote: I thought this was a support group for recovering (or just self-indulgent) metaphorists... you mean it's not? Why do I feel like I'm in a scene from "Fight Club"? I guess that would make me more of an allegorist? > Is it? You people can't help yourselves. It's compulsive. You might want to > get some help for that. > > On 5/4/20 10:47 AM, Frank Wimberly wrote: >> Choosing one's rifle is so concrete. It makes me want to run out and blow >> away a few cacti. Oh, it's a metaphor! .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. .- ... .... . ... FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ <http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/FRIAM-COMIC> FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ -- Frank Wimberly 140 Calle Ojo Feliz Santa Fe, NM 87505 505 670-9918 .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. .- ... .... . ... FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. .- ... .... . ... FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ .-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. .- ... .... . ... FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam <http://bit.ly/virtualfriam> unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
.-. .- -. -.. --- -- -..-. -.. --- - ... -..-. .- -. -.. -..-. -.. .- ... .... . ... FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
