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Article 2245 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: How does one model anesthesia in AI?
Message-ID: <60641@netnews.upenn.edu>
Date: 18 Dec 91 16:58:58 GMT
References: <59809@netnews.upenn.edu> <12665@pitt.UUCP> <60022@netnews.upenn.edu> <12686@pitt.UUCP> <60318@netnews.upenn.edu> <3988@papaya.bbn.com>
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Reply-To: weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener)
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In-reply-to: cbarber@bbn.com (Chris Barber)

In article <3988@papaya.bbn.com>, cbarber@bbn (Chris Barber) writes:
>I think it is a mistake to speak of memory and learning as if there
>was just one kind supported by a single mechanism in the brain.

True enough.  I wasn't talking about any particular kind--other than
the kind that studies have shown can take place under anesthesia!

>>Thus a model of neural nets for memory/learning combined with a pumped
>>phonon condensation for consciousness itself deals with this aspect of
>>anesthesia in a simpler manner than a neural net model for memory and
>>learning and consciousness. 

>Perhaps too simple.

Meaning what?

>>In contrast, an all neural net model has to make some pretty subtle
>>distinctions.

>Perhaps subtle distinctions are worth making.

Of course they are.  But Stanley Friesen was appealing to Occam's razor
to "prove" his side, and I was pointing out that the razor goes the other
way when you consider anesthesia.  No more.
-- 
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu)


