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From: pindor@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca (Andrzej Pindor)
Subject: Re: Randomness and free will
Message-ID: <DMGxxu.Atu@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca>
Organization: UTCC Public Access
References: <4f6nd7$925@panix3.panix.com> <4f7ont$ed8@news.cc.ucf.edu>
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Date: Thu, 8 Feb 1996 17:58:42 GMT
Lines: 34
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.physics:170083 comp.ai:36854 comp.ai.philosophy:37544 sci.philosophy.meta:24437

In article <4f7ont$ed8@news.cc.ucf.edu>,
Thomas Clarke <clarke@acme.ist.ucf.edu> wrote:

>Why the big objection to the possible significant of quantum pheonomena?

Nothing personal or emotional, just an application of the Occam's razor.
Quantum pheomena rarely show under normal circumstances (macroscopic systems,
room temperature, etc.). On the other hand digital computers and neural nets
(both running on the basis of classical physics) seem to account for ever 
growing range of mental functions. So why to invoke QM?

>Physicists have gotten used to the weird things that happen, why
>not cognitive science?  Why is chaos OK and QM not?  

Chaos takes place in many classical systems and has been showing up in
neural nets too. Nothing that would unambiguously require QM has been seen.

>If chaos, true chaos - exponential multiplication of uncertainty
>in initial conditions - is necesary, than digital hardware is not
>going to cut it either.
>
Why is this? Approximate chaos in a system with 2^(10^11) states will be,
for all practical purposes, undistnguishable from *true* chaos. Who (except
few philosphers who have nothing better to do, living off our taxes :-))
cares that it would not be the *TRUE* chaos?

>Tom Clarke
>
Andrzej
-- 
Andrzej Pindor                        The foolish reject what they see and 
University of Toronto                 not what they think; the wise reject
Information Commons                   what they think and not what they see.
pindor@breeze.hprc.utoronto.ca                      Huang Po
