From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wupost!micro-heart-of-gold.mit.edu!bu.edu!m2c!wpi.WPI.EDU!maxine.wpi.edu!rdouglas Tue Jan 21 09:26:38 EST 1992
Article 2829 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wupost!micro-heart-of-gold.mit.edu!bu.edu!m2c!wpi.WPI.EDU!maxine.wpi.edu!rdouglas
>From: rdouglas@maxine.wpi.edu (***** Rob Douglas ****)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Searle, again
Message-ID: <1992Jan17.162406.11634@wpi.WPI.EDU>
Date: 17 Jan 92 16:24:06 GMT
References: <1992Jan13.200632.36402@spss.com> <5984@skye.ed.ac.uk> <377@tdatirv.UUCP>
Sender: news@wpi.WPI.EDU (News)
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Lines: 30
Nntp-Posting-Host: maxine.wpi.edu

In article <377@tdatirv.UUCP> sarima@tdatirv.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) writes:
>
>Accepted and understood.  Now, how does he reach the conclusion that these
>'causal powers' even exist?
>

Simple.  He says to himself, "Everything I know about the brain and 
understanding could be programmed into a computer.  This would not be
enough to give the computer understanding.  Therefore, there must exist 
something I don't know about that does cause understanding, i.e. causal 
powers."

This doesn't mean I agree with him.  But it is the second sentence which
has to be attacked in his argument, not the idea of causal powers, because
if it is true that a computer cannot understand, then causal powers (or 
something, call it what you will) must exist.

ROB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~  Rob Douglas                         |  email:                       ~ 
~  AI Research Group                   |       rdouglas@cs.wpi.edu     ~
~  Worcester Polytechnic Institute     |  Fuller Labs Room 239         ~
~  Computer Science Department         |  (508) 831-5005               ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~  Rob Douglas                         |  email:                       ~ 
~  AI Research Group                   |       rdouglas@cs.wpi.edu     ~
~  Worcester Polytechnic Institute     |  Fuller Labs Room 239         ~


