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Article 5751 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: shanks@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com (Mark Shanks)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: penrose
Message-ID: <1992May19.194145.7008@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com>
Date: 19 May 92 19:41:45 GMT
References: <1992May18.194416.27171@hellgate.utah.edu> <1992May19.025328.5332@news.media.mit.edu> <1992May19.113549.9679@hellgate.utah.edu>
Sender: Mark Shanks
Organization: Honeywell Air Transport Systems Division
Lines: 35

In article <1992May19.113549.9679@hellgate.utah.edu> tolman%asylum.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Kenneth Tolman) writes:

>What type of things happen in our universe that appear magical?  
>Seriously, there are things that transpire that are "inexplicable". 

Examples, please.
 
>If you incorporate these into a Turing machine, it suddenly becomes more
>powerful in an odd way.... It breaks out of infinite regress, it obtains
>the power of the gods, self referential ability, ingenuity, insight.
>I know of no computer built now which can do these things, manufucturers
>avoid it like the plague, because they are afraid of it.

Are you serious?
 
>Kind of weird, but it is because of the foundations of western thought
>which have led us into a dead end of thought.
>Perhaps we are reaching the end of western civilization, as it brings
>itself to a close with its own foundations. 
>If you notice the train of western thought, it has absolutely revolted
>and twisted against and denied a lot of things.  Why?  If you examine
>what it is fleeing from, you will discover quite a few interesting things
>which simultaneously demystifies and mystifies a lot of subjects.  Kind
>of weird.

Perhaps you should define "western thought" before you write its obituary.
Your article appears to have been written under the influence of some
reactional pharmaceutical. I'm sorry, but you have lost me. Are you
postulating that rationalism is a dead end, and that by incorporating
irrationality into what you call a Turing machine, a new level of "insight"
and/or the "power of the gods" can be realized? Could you explicate, please??
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Mark Shanks
Principal Engineer, 777 Displays
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