From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!psinntp!dg-rtp!sheol!throopw Tue Jan 21 09:27:01 EST 1992
Article 2872 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: throopw@sheol.UUCP (Wayne Throop)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Virtual Person?
Summary: review of assumptions of argument sketch
Keywords: personal identity, searle
Message-ID: <4094@sheol.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jan 92 17:33:25 GMT
References: <5894@skye.ed.ac.uk> <1992Jan10.213635.1884@cs.yale.edu> <5965@skye.ed.ac.uk> <1992Jan16.040733.23764@cs.yale.edu> <6007@skye.ed.ac.uk>

> jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton)
> Nor will you find me disagreeing with Dave Chalmers version
>   Premise 1: If strong AI is true, then there exists a program P such
>   that implementing P is sufficient for mentality.
>   Premise 2: Any program P can be implemented Chinese-room style,
>   without being accompanied by mentality.
>   Conclusion: Strong AI is false.
> at least as a starting point.

Of course, the problem I have is with premise 2.  While it is true
that any program P can be implemented Chinese-room style, the "without
being accompanied by mentality" part is simply presented unsupported,
and (as near as I can see) is essentially a case of sneaking in the
conclusion as a premise.

> I said [..Stanley Friesen..]
> was begging the question.  To which you and Daryl
> McCullough replied: oh no, you have it backwards -- it's Searle
> who's begging the question.

I have more sympathy with the view that Searle is begging the question,
since he's the one (essentially) taking "without being acompanied by
mentality" as part of his premise which purports to demonstrate his
thesis.  That is, Searle seems to be making the stronger claim.

On the other hand, the claim that the any "right program" P IS always
acompanied with mentality is also begging the question.  I can't see how
the question can be un-begged towards either resolution until the
meaning of "mentality" is better specified. 
--
Wayne Throop  ...!mcnc!dg-rtp!sheol!throopw


