Newsgroups: comp.ai.nat-lang,alt.cyberspace,alt.internet,alt.net-scandal,comp.ai,comp.ai.philosophy
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From: jqb@netcom.com (Jim Balter)
Subject: Re: Eliza (was Re: Are there non-humans lurking on Internet/Usenet?)
Message-ID: <jqbD3pB6w.94K@netcom.com>
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References: <3h2qas$m4f@percy.cs.bham.ac.uk> <vlsi_libD3nBn4.ILH@netcom.com> <D3oxrJ.DHu@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> <3hb12k$1le@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Date: Wed, 8 Feb 1995 21:47:20 GMT
Lines: 38
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.nat-lang:2826 comp.ai:27251 comp.ai.philosophy:25344

In article <3hb12k$1le@mp.cs.niu.edu>, Neil Rickert <rickert@cs.niu.edu> wrote:
>In <D3oxrJ.DHu@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton) writes:
>
>>It's still sometimes difficult to convince people who "ought to
>>know better" (a.g. AI phd students) that Eliza does not have "some"
>>understanding.  Indeed, I'm pretty sure that the people in comp.ai.phil
>>can come up with a number of arguments to support that view (ie, that
>>Eliza has some understanding).

Why it difficult to do this convincing?  Why can people in c.a.p come up with
arguments of this sort?  Are they fools?  Are they in the grip of an ideology?

>I would have difficulty coming up with arguments that Eliza has
>some understanding.  Or at least I would have difficulty doing
>so with a straight face.
>
>>                                Whether they can come up with better
>>arguements against the view is less clear.

An interesting bit of innuendo, Jeff.  Perhaps you could move up to a higher
plane and simply give us your best argument.

>If asked to argue against Eliza understanding, I would be
>nonplussed.  It is so obvious that there is no understanding, I
>cannot easily comprehend what it is that I am supposed to be arguing
>against.

Given this definition of understanding from Random House 2nd ed.:
 	
	knowledge of or familiarity with a particular thing; skill in dealing
	with or handling something

I would say that Eliza displays *some* understanding.  Perhaps if you or Jeff
could offer your definitions of the word, any disagreement over the issue
could be resolved.
-- 
<J Q B>

