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Article 5402 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: biesel@javelin.sim.es.com (Heiner Biesel)
Subject: Re: Intelligence, awareness, and esthetics
Message-ID: <1992May4.161919.28648@javelin.sim.es.com>
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
References: <1992May3.192319.22913@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Date: Mon, 4 May 1992 16:19:19 GMT
Lines: 34

zirdum@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Antun Zirdum) writes:

>>< In article <1992Apr27.162558.9544@javelin.sim.es.com> biesel@javelin.sim.es.com (Heiner Biesel)
>><  writes:
>>< > I am inclined to accept the intelligence and awareness of Beethoven
>>< 
>>< Strange. I thought Beethoven was dead, and dead people usually aren't
>>< aware of anything, as far as I know.
>>< 
>>
>>As I see it, I have just read a stream of bits, from .SE domain (SWEDEN).
>>
>>Is there anybody out there? Are you alive?
>>
>If he does not answer I would be inclined to say
>that he is not alive/ or not intelligent! However
>if he answers to your satisfaction, you have no 
>reason to exclude him from the domain of intelligence.

>By the way, send such a message to Beethoven!

That's the whole point: Beethoven was certainly intelligent and aware.
The fact that he's dead now, and finds it inconvenient to respond via
TTY to someone, does not alter those facts.

It seems that the loose definition of the Turing test that you subscribe
to loses utility as it loses rigor. The notion that we are constantly
"turing testing" people, and base our interactions with them on our
interpretation of their responses, broadens and weakes the definition
of the test beyond anything Turing had in mind, to the point where it
includes any human verbal interaction.

Regards,
       Heiner biesel@thrall.sim.es.com


