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From: jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton)
Subject: Re: Strong AI and consciousness
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References: <CzsJoI.EJs@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca> <1994Nov28.171355.27765@oxvaxd> <D002DH.6r7@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca>
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 1994 19:21:27 GMT
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In article <D002DH.6r7@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca> pindor@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca (Andrzej Pindor) writes:
>In article <1994Nov28.171355.27765@oxvaxd>,  <econrpae@vax.oxford.ac.uk> wrote:
>.......
>>
>>I don't, however, see why this shows that the notion of "running a program" is
>>slippery or subjective. Wouldn't you agree that the rock cannot be thought of
>>as running a chess-playing program? It certainly isn't running Microsoft Word,
>>either. 
>>
>>Why does the fact that the rock is running a very simple program show that the
>>notion of "running a program" is inherently slippery? 
>>                                               
>Because it shows that whether something is "running a program" is a matter of
>looking at proceses taking place, involving an object under discussion. There
>is nothing which differentiates between "running a program" and just 
>undergoing physical changes everything in the universe undergoes (Panta Rei).
>"Running a program" in general is not something special that takes place in 
>some cases and does not in other cases. It is a matter of deliberately 
>choosing 
>a certain interpretation, it is not something we _have_ to recognize,
>it is not a "matter of fact".

Nonetheless, it is a fact that the machine on my desk is running
SunOS 4.1.3 and not Solaris 2, and with any luck that will remain
the case for some time to come.
