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Article 2451 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: peterson@debussy.cs.colostate.edu (james peterson)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Ignore Searle and be happier
Message-ID: <1991Dec30.214930.66372@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>
Date: 30 Dec 91 21:49:29 GMT
References: <61172@netnews.upenn.edu> <1991Dec30.185605.23355@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> <1991Dec30.193339.28438@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Organization: Colorado State Computer Science Department
Lines: 32

In article <1991Dec30.193339.28438@mp.cs.niu.edu> rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes:
>
> It is a mistake to get hung up on consciousness when it is something so
>vague that it cannot even be measured.

A curious remark.  It suggests that the only things that are "real," or
genuine, or not fictions, are things that can be "measured" (implying
quantification).  This strikes me as a presupposition worthy of questioning.

It also reminds me that this attitude can be traced back to Descartes,
who was the father of modern scientific method inasmuch as he explicitly
stated that *all* problems are solvable by breaking them into context-
free primitive quantifiable elements.  This is the credo of modern science,
modern man and of Strong AI.  Still, it must be asked if this assumption,
viz, that *all* problems and all objects of study lend themselves
to disassembly, is in fact true.  I know of no reason to suppose that it is.

james sends

>
>-- 
>=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=
>  Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science               <rickert@cs.niu.edu>
>  Northern Illinois Univ.
>  DeKalb, IL 60115                                   +1-815-753-6940


-- 
james lee peterson				peterson@CS.ColoState.edu
dept. of computer science                       
colorado state university		"Some ignorance is invincible."
ft. collins, colorado  (voice:303/491-7137; fax:303/491-6639)


