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Article 4138 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: santas@inf.ethz.ch (Philip Santas)
Subject: Re: Definition of understanding
Message-ID: <1992Feb28.192132.14324@neptune.inf.ethz.ch>
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Organization: Dept. Informatik, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
References: <1992Feb26.190407.5123@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> <1992Feb27.025740.8034@a.cs.okstate.edu> <1992Feb27.041137.29433@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1992 19:21:32 GMT
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In article <1992Feb27.041137.29433@mp.cs.niu.edu> rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes:
>In article <1992Feb27.025740.8034@a.cs.okstate.edu> onstott@a.cs.okstate.edu (ONSTOTT CHARLES OR) writes:
>>I would suggest that unless the system can translate the language from
>>its original tongue to that of chinese or be capable of generating its
>>own originial statements free of context from the ones being presented
>>to it, the system has altogether failed to understand anything at all.
>
>  Remember that you are talking about what is supposed to be a programming
>system designed to handle Chinese.  As such, its original tongue IS
>CHINESE.  It matters not one iota whether the steps are implemented by
>someone whose native language is English or Martian, or MC68030 or 80486
>or Cray.  The system itself has only one language.  If you want the system
>to be able to translate English into Chinese you had better change the
>Chinese room so that the program is also required to handle English.  But
>without changing the definition, you cannot hope to get English out of
>the system.  The system is different from the individual implementing it.

Let's put an end to this missunderstanding:

Assume that the total number of characters that represent all the possible
human sounds are `m'.
Suppose that the maximum number of characters a human can spell, write, etc
during his whole lifetime is `n'
Now the maximum number of conversations in ALL the existing and non-existing
languages and their combinations is:

                n
                S m^i
               i=0 (absolute silence)

This theoretical object CAN speak in any language you can think or imagine
or whatever. It can do everything that has a verbal form. Of course not all
of these conversations are acceptable. But there is an upper limit as you see.

If you want to speak about images and not words, you can do relevant things with 
pixels. There IS still an upper limit.

Plato's world of ideas IS finite for the mankind.


Philip Santas

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email: santas@inf.ethz.ch				 Philip Santas
Mail: Dept. Informatik				Department of Computer Science
      ETH-Zentrum			  Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
      CH-8092 Zurich				       Zurich, Switzerland
      Switzerland
Phone: +41-1-2547391
      


