From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!uknet!edcastle!aisb!cam Tue Nov 19 11:09:13 EST 1991
Article 1221 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: cam@aisb.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Animal Intelligence vs Human Intelligence
Message-ID: <1991Nov6.231524.7222@aisb.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 6 Nov 91 23:15:24 GMT
References: <37311@shamash.cdc.com> <1991Oct24.234823.7560@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com> <37443@shamash.cdc.com> <1991Oct31.235402.12739@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com> <37658@shamash.cdc.com> <1991Nov02.075827.27740kmc@netcom.COM> <37713@shamash.cdc.com>
Reply-To: cam@aifh.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm)
Organization: Dept AI, Edinburgh University, Scotland
Lines: 25

In article <37713@shamash.cdc.com> map@svl.cdc.com (Mark Peters) writes:

>To claim that Washoe has the concept of lying is a leap well beyond 
>what we know about Washoe and this incident, and also beyond what
>we know about the concept of "lying."  The concept of "lying"
>presupposes the concepts of honesty (lying is NOT being honest), virtue
>(honesty is a type of virtue), and value (what virtue aims at achieving).
>In addition, a whole bunch of epistemological concepts are presupposed,
>including "logic," "reason," and "volition."  We don't have any reason
>to believe that Washoe has any of these concepts, all of which she would
>have to grasp in some terms before she could grasp "lying."

Your argument is on the right lines, but unfortunately does not go far
enough. Not only does the concept of lying ineluctably involve the
concepts of honesty, logic, and volition, but these in turn presuppose
an understanding of morality, original sin, and the Triune Christian God
whose Existence and Rule is necessary to remove the taint of
abitrariness from these concepts. In other words, not only must Washoe,
an animal inevitably lack the concept of lying, and therefore be
incapable of behaviour properly describable with full culpability as
lying, but neither can any heathen human being.
-- 
Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.aipna   +44 (0)31 667 1011 x2550
Department of Artificial Intelligence,    Edinburgh University
5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK                DoD #205


