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Article 4928 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: SHRDLU's mind
Message-ID: <1992Apr6.023638.518@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu>
>From: bill@NSMA.AriZonA.EdU (Bill Skaggs)
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 02:36:38 GMT
Reply-To: bill@NSMA.AriZonA.EdU (Bill Skaggs)
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References: <493@tdatirv.UUCP> <1992Apr1.030024.13504@psych.toronto.edu> <6737@pkmab.se> <1992Apr5.210553.11966@psych.toronto.edu>
Organization: Center for Neural Systems, Memory, and Aging
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Kristoffer Eriksson:
>Surely, no-one has suggested that SHRDLU is advanced enough to have a mind?

Christopher Green:
>Under strong AI, one would be committed to such a view. Surely, if McCarthy
>believes is thermostat has beliefs, he believes that SHRDLU does. Same
>goes for any other thorough-going functionalists. Right Dave...?
>

  I think I'm a backer of strong AI, but I don't believe that
mind is an all-or-nothing concept.  Minds come in varying degrees
of sophistication.  The essential ingredients are a picture of
the world, the ability to use it to accomplish goals, and some
ability to communicate.  SHRDLU has all of these things (though
its picture is actually of an "imagined" world), so I see no
reason not to grant it a mind, albeit a primitive one.

	-- Bill


