From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!oz Wed Feb  5 11:56:16 EST 1992
Article 3404 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Xref: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca comp.ai.philosophy:3404 sci.philosophy.tech:2017
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,sci.philosophy.tech
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!oz
>From: oz@ursa.sis.yorku.ca (Ozan Yigit)
Subject: Re: Robotic Follies (was re: Strong AI and Panpsychism)
In-Reply-To: zeleny@brauer.harvard.edu's message of 1 Feb 92 23: 30:52 GMT
Message-ID: <OZ.92Feb2130854@ursa.sis.yorku.ca>
Sender: news@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca (USENET News System)
Organization: York U. Student Information Systems Project
References: <1992Jan28.153645.5237@cs.yale.edu> <1992Jan28.164410.9509@psych.toronto.edu>
	<21879@life.ai.mit.edu> <1992Feb1.183054.8327@husc3.harvard.edu>
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1992 18:08:54 GMT


   MM:
   >Yes, because of being several times removed from their contexts.  What
   >I've said about "belief" in a philosophical context was that the idea
   >that "Jack believes X" is not a reasonable thing to discuss formally.
   >(For example, in the context of "believes" vs. "knows".)

   MZ: [in response]
   As an example of proof by vehement assertion by an eminent authority, I
   find this claim somewhat less than credible, in particular since Alonzo
   Church, whose authority in logical matters trumps Professor Minsky's own
   many times over, has made important contributions to the subject of logic
   of belief, both in his Alternative (0) of Logic of Sense and Denotation,
   and in his recent theory of proposition surrogates.  Of course neither this
   fact, nor the fact that many other philosophers have since contributed to
   our understanding of belief, will have any bearing on Professor Minsky's
   long-estabilished, self-refuting beliefs on this subject.

Summarize Church's latest theory instead of merely dropping his name,
and show why this theory should be taken more seriously than any other
possible theory advanced by, say Minsky. While you are at it, make sure
to summarize those other philosophers' views as well, and do spare us
more of your pedantic appeals to authorithy by name dropping and proof
by vituperative rambling.


oz
---
Information is in the mind of  |  internet: oz@nexus.yorku.ca
the beholder. - R. Jackendoff  |  phone: 416 736 2100 x 33976


