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Article 5717 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: long@next3.acme.ucf.edu (Richard Long)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Mean thoughts on what meaning means(Papert's principle)
Message-ID: <1992May18.152434.10349@cs.ucf.edu>
Date: 18 May 92 15:24:34 GMT
References: <1992May17.141053.7695@news.acns.nwu.edu>
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In article <1992May17.141053.7695@news.acns.nwu.edu>  
learn@speedy.acns.nwu.edu (William J. Vajk) writes:
> In article <1992May17.071803.28448@ccu.umanitoba.ca> Antun Zirdum  
writes:
> 
> >In article <1992May15.152549.13330@psych.toronto.edu> Michael Gemar  
writes:
> 
 Is there any way to bootstrap yourself *solely* using
> >>the Chinese-Chinese dictionary?  No.     
> 
>> How did Helen Kehler get bootstrapped?

> Helen Keller didn't suddenly bootstrap easily using a newly built neural
> network and some single piece of new information. She was led to water,
> so to speak, after a memorable life experience of well over a decade.
> During that lifetime she was learning many things. The "bootstrap" was
> comprehension of the interrelationships of the knowledge she already had
> which then opened her to the possibilities of further learning and
> comprehension.
> 
> Bill Vajk

This is what Minsky refers to as "Papert's Principle" in his _Society of  
Mind_, namely that "some of the most crucial steps in mental growth are  
based not simply on aquiring new skills, but on acquiring new  
administrative ways to use what one already knows".  Now, if we could only  
figure out what "administrative ways"  MEANS, we could really get  
somewhere. ;^)


