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Article 5993 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: harnad@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Stevan Harnad)
Subject: Re: Homunculus and the witch's brew
Message-ID: <1992Jun1.020633.15541@Princeton.EDU>
Originator: news@ernie.Princeton.EDU
Keywords: computation, transduction, homunculus, sensorimotor physiology
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References: <1992May31.145204.16357@Princeton.EDU> <l2iea9INN44p@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> <1992May31.212826.1778@news.media.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1992 02:06:33 GMT
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In article <1992May31.212826.1778@news.media.mit.edu> minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes:
>
>I have the same problem.  SH: are you using the term "transducer" in a
>non-standard way?  The brain has lots of internal information and
>processing capability, whereas the term transducer is used normally to
>refer to a (many-one) transformation; if it has much internal state,
>then this term is inappropriate because your assertion sounds totally
>Homuncular.  And your thesis makes no sense that.  way.  Perhaps you
>should withdraw this term before it is too late -- or else present a
>definition that does not require reading many difficult references.
>Otherwise, we'll have to refer to H(T)HH -- Harnad's (Total)
>Homuncular Hypothesis.

Marvin, I'm not an engineer, so if I've picked a technical term that is
at odds with my intended meaning, I'd be happy to susbstitute the
correct one for it (what is the correct one?). I had no idea that a
many-to-one mapping was criterial for a transducer. I would have wanted
a term that leaves room for 1:1 analog transformations and through-put
too, as the dictionary definitions below do. Physiologists, I believe,
often refer to the sensory surfaces as transducers, yet many of those
simply transduce (traduce?) input in analog form. (But I have to add,
as a point of logic, that even if transduction refers only to a
many-to-one conversion, that does not necessarily make it homuncular.)
-- SH

Collins:
trans+duc+er (traenz`dju:s) n. any device, such as a microphone or
electric motor, that converts one form of energy into another.
[C20: from Latin transducere to lead across, from
trans-+ducere to lead] 

Websters:
transducer
L [italic transducere] to lead across, fr. [italic trans-] + [italic 
ducere] to lead -- more at [mini TOW]
a device that is actuated by power from one system and supplies 
power in any other form to a second system (as a telephone receiver 
that is actuated by electric power and supplies acoustic power to the 
surrounding air)

-- 
Stevan Harnad  Department of Psychology  Princeton University
harnad@clarity.princeton.edu / harnad@pucc.bitnet / srh@flash.bellcore.com 
harnad@learning.siemens.com / harnad@elbereth.rutgers.edu / (609)-921-7771


