Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
From: Lupton@luptonpj.demon.co.uk (Peter Lupton)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!demon!luptonpj.demon.co.uk!Lupton
Subject: Re: Strong AI and consciousness
References: <1994Nov28.151732.29983@unix.brighton.ac.uk> <3b0o42$i2g@news.u.washington.edu> <1994Nov24.123227.27677@oxvaxd> <499572533wnr@luptonpj.demon.co.uk>
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Date: Tue, 29 Nov 1994 21:03:34 +0000
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Peter Lupton writes:

>>Programming is closely related to the theory of recursive
>>functions and universality. The problem is this: given my
>>desire to program the following recursive function, what
>>finite collection of things do I need to know about this 
>>rock in order to set about the task of programming it?

and Andrzej Piondor replies:

>You expect too much of a rock and this is why you are disappointed. 

Which is my point entirely. 

The OED gives two relevant definitions of the word 'program':

(Computer): A series of coded instructions which when fed into
            a computer will automatically direct its operation 
            in carrying out a specific task.

Andrzej is plainly agreeing that, in the computer sense of the
word 'program', rocks aren't running programs.

Now, the OED also gives another definition:

(Machine): A sequence of operations that a machine can be set
           to perform automatically.

Now, in this (machine) sense of the word 'program', Andrzej
believes that rocks are running programs.

However, the discussion here is about Strong AI - the thesis
that 'an appropriately programmed computer really *is* a mind'.
The sense of the word 'program' is plainly the computer sense and 
not the machine sense.

So we have an equivocation. It may be the rocks are running
a program in the machine sense (even this I doubt), but this
is of no interest to the Strong AI thesis. However, in the
computer sense - that is, in the sense relevant for Strong 
AI - rocks aren't running programs (as Andrzej agrees).

Cheers,
Pete Lupton.
