From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!rickert Tue Nov 24 10:51:12 EST 1992
Article 7569 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!linac!mp.cs.niu.edu!rickert
>From: rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert)
Subject: Re: grounding and the entity/environment boundary
Message-ID: <1992Nov10.161749.20605@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Organization: Northern Illinois University
References: <1992Oct29.165538.137829@Cookie.secapl.com> <1992Oct30.183122.7795@spss.com> <1992Nov10.020502.116627@Cookie.secapl.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 16:17:49 GMT
Lines: 34

In article <1992Nov10.020502.116627@Cookie.secapl.com> frank@Cookie.secapl.com (Frank Adams) writes:
>In article <1992Oct30.183122.7795@spss.com> markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder) writes:

>             Our brains make a tradeoff between retention and brain size
>based in part on things like mobility.  AI's need not be subject to this
>constraint.

Before you can call it a tradeoff, you must explain why it would be
beneficial to clutter the brain with huge volumes of worthless trivia.

>                                       The organizational problem for memory
>is real, but I see no reason to think a solution requires deleting memories.
>Physically providing enough high-quality memory is either within our
>capacities now, or very close to it.
>
>*Was* evolution capable of producing a brain which could faithfully remember
>every experience presented to it?  Maybe it's still working on it.

Why should evolution even be interested in such a memory?  How would it
be beneficial to turn yourself into a lifetime receptacle for junk mail
and advertising jingles?  If such perfect retention is useful, why was
the waste paper basket invented?

>                                                                    Note
>that some people have better memories than others, and that having a better
>memory is in general an advantage.

Just out of interest, I wonder what evidence exists that some people
have better memories than others?  Certainly some people have better
memories for history, others have better memories for language, others
have better memories for hollywood trivia, etc.  But I wonder if it
doesn't come close to balancing out if you could measure the total
combination.



