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Article 6049 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: clarke@acme.ucf.edu (Thomas Clarke)
Subject: Re: Hypothesis: I am a Transducer (Formerly "Virtual Grounding")
Message-ID: <1992Jun2.182927.22085@cs.ucf.edu>
Sender: news@cs.ucf.edu (News system)
Organization: University of Central Florida
References: <1992Jun2.155056.11642@guinness.idbsu.edu>
Date: Tue, 2 Jun 1992 18:29:27 GMT
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In article <1992Jun2.155056.11642@guinness.idbsu.edu> holmes@opal.idbsu.edu  
(Randall Holmes) writes:
> In article <1992Jun2.131851.18895@cs.ucf.edu> clarke@acme.ucf.edu (Thomas  
Clarke) writes:
> >While not (Turing) machine can predict QM effects, QM effects happen so
> >the universe "predicts" them.  Perhaps a subset of the universe can
> >be boxed into a convenient black box machine that can "predict" these
> >effects in a computationaly useful way.  (Is the brain such a black
> box?)
> 
> The universe does not predict the QM effects; it simply exhibits them.
> It would only predict them if it were actually deterministic on a
> deeper level; i.e., if QM were only an approximation to the real
> situation!

Hence the quotation marks around predicts!  Neither may my brain
calculate (or simulate) intelligence, it may just exhibit it.

> >Quantum mechanics is an example of physics that cannot be fully
> >simulated. 
> 
> It certainly can be simulated.  You simply have to roll dice at the
> right point (and not stupidly -- i.e., not locally).  Also, you have
> to do really tough mathematics to set up your simulation correctly.  I
> believe that this is actually done -- for very small systems (atoms!).

I suspect our respective undestandings of QM differ too much to 
really reach an agreement now.  My intutition is that a
correct QM simulation would have to simulate every possiblity in an 
Everett style many world's simulation.  Shades of the humongous LUT.

With regard to atoms - I refer you to 

T. Erber and S. Putterman, 1985, "Randomness in quantum mechanics - nature's  
ultimate cryptogram?", Nature, 318, 41-43.

The time series of radiative transititions of a single atom is shown to 
be ultimately random in the sense that no algorithm can generate such
a time series, much as in Chaitin's algoritmic information theory.  A single
atom is thus not simulatable.  You can add "dice" I suppose, but they
must be dice correlated with dice everywhere else so that the simulation
becomes less of a model and more just a restructuring of the actual 
physical process. 

> >To me the question of whether QM is relevent is open.
> 
> I suspect that QM effects may be relevant, but mostly in the form of
> providing random numbers when these are useful; sometimes an
> intelligence needs to make a decision when there are no grounds for
> the decision (nothing to do with "free will"; our behaviour in
> situations where "free will" is supposed to be involved had better be
> determined!)

But consider the following correspondences:

QM correlations  <--?--> qualia 

In QM correlations have no effects, but are necessary to understand the
theory. In the same way qualia are necessary to understand the mind.

hidden variables <--?--> homomculus

Both hidden variables and homonculi are attractive explanations that
must be avoided, but often crop up in unexpected ways.

These parallels between AI and QM are interesting on a metascientific level;  
both disciplines have interpretation problems that most practitioners
ignore. But to me the analogies are so close that one is tempted to
apply Occam's razor and argue for a deeper connection. 
--
Thomas Clarke
Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central FL
12424 Research Parkway, Suite 300, Orlando, FL 32826
(407)658-5030, FAX: (407)658-5059, clarke@acme.ucf.edu


