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Article 4120 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,sci.philosophy.tech
Subject: Re: Robotic Follies
Message-ID: <1992Feb28.064559.9266@husc3.harvard.edu>
>From: zeleny@brauer.harvard.edu (Mikhail Zeleny)
Date: 28 Feb 92 06:45:58 EST
References: <1992Feb21.131053.100@cs.ucf.edu> <1992Feb21.192207.9035@husc3.harvard.edu> <1992Feb23.224458.16711@ida.liu.se>
Organization: Dept. of Math, Harvard Univ.
Nntp-Posting-Host: brauer.harvard.edu
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In article <1992Feb23.224458.16711@ida.liu.se> 
c89ponga@odalix.ida.liu.se (Pontus Gagge) writes:

>zeleny@boucher.harvard.edu (Mikhail Zeleny) writes:

MZ:
>>There once was a Shah who developed a special fondness for his ass, and
>>expressed a desire that the animal be taught human speech.  Nasruddin came
>>forth, declaring that he could do the job in twenty-five years, for 25
>>thousand gold pieces.  The shah agreed, and Nasruddin led away the ass
>>loaded with a fortune in gold.  Upon hearing about the bargain, Nasruddin's
>>friends came to his house, expressing great concern.  "Surely, -- they
>>said, -- you will fail to teach the ass to speak, and spend the gold, and
>>then the Shah will order his royal executioner to cut off your head."
>>"Don't worry, -- replied Nasruddin, -- in twenty-five years the Shah will
>>die, or the ass will die, or I myself will die."

PG:
>The version I know adds the vital:
>"And who knows; maybe the ass *will* learn to speak"
>Adds a certain something to the story, nicht wahr?

Indeed it does, -- it makes Nasruddin an idiot.  Hardly an improvement...

PG:
>Anyway, what shall we term this latest anti-Minsky article by Mr. Zeleny?
>Proof by entertaining allegory? :-)

I've nothing against Minsky.  
It's his dead ass that bothers me.  
That, and all the flies.

`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'
: Qu'est-ce qui est bien?  Qu'est-ce qui est laid?         Harvard   :
: Qu'est-ce qui est grand, fort, faible...                 doesn't   :
: Connais pas! Connais pas!                                 think    :
:                                                             so     :
: Mikhail Zeleny                                                     :
: 872 Massachusetts Ave., Apt. 707                                   :
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'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`




