From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!wupost!waikato.ac.nz!aukuni.ac.nz!kcbbs!nacjack!codewks!system Mon Nov  9 09:36:17 EST 1992
Article 7465 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: grounding and the entity/environment boundary
Message-ID: <XD3FTB3w165w@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz>
>From: system@CODEWKS.nacjack.gen.nz (Wayne McDougall)
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 92 18:25:56 NZST
References: <719720414@sheol.UUCP>
Organization: The Code Works Limited, PO Box 10 155, Auckland, New Zealand
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> : From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
> : Message-ID:  <1992Oct12.203359.8713@spss.com>
> : Groundedness doesn't diminish one whit when you close your eyes, any more
> : than your capacity for vision does.  What could change things is if you gre
> : up blind: then you'd lack grounding in (say) colors.

Hmmm, following one from suggestions that "groundedness" can diminish 
over a period of years, I'd like to suggest that groundedness CAN 
diminish one whit just by closing your eyes. Doesn't "groundedness" as 
it is being used refer to a "real world experience". Imagine that while 
*I* have my eyes closed everyone else seems say an amazing comet, or a 
supernova, or some transient phenomena (cf Day of the Triffids).

I would then not be grounded in relation to discussions about that 
phenomena. In fact to others talking about it, my attempts at 
discussions could appear to be completely without intelligence.

Now granted that you could argue that this is not a "loss" so much as a 
"failure to gain". But the fact that we CAN close our eyes for a second 
(or a day), surely is a simple reflection of the fact that in all 
probability I will NOT be seeing anything new that would add to my 
groundedness. As opposed to when I was very young when so much of the 
world was new....

Just as I would suggest that a matured AI could be turned off for a 
day, and then turned back on and will not have "gone off" significantly 
because of the loss of a day's grounding.

I guess that I am arguing that you DO need to maintain conatct with 
real world experiences to maintain grounding, but the level of contact 
can be proportional to the change in the real world environment. 
Likewise, grounding can occur very quickly in a stable environment. It 
can also be very difficult to those grounded in a stable environment 
(even humans) to adapt when that environment suddenly does change (cf 
culture shock).

Further observation: Have you ever talked to someone who has been away 
for a few weeks (tramping in the mountains, etc), who hasn't had access 
to TV, radio or newspapers. Or been that person. Haven't you felt 
"out-of-touch" or labelled that person as "out-of-touch"...they often 
want to catch up on the latest news...they can't discuss events like 
GATT talks and so forth, because they haven't heard about it.....isn't 
that an illustration of lack/loss of grounding...or at least grounding 
out of sync (I can't talk intelligently with others about the trout 
fishing in the particular stream I was at...)

-- 
  Wayne McDougall, BCNU
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