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From: telford@threetek.dialix.oz.au (Telford Tendys)
Subject: Re: religion
In-Reply-To: hbonney@netcom.com's message of Sun, 21 May 1995 10:03:06 GMT
Message-ID: <1995May24.031744.29873@threetek.dialix.oz.au>
Followup-To: alt.atheism,alt.religion.christian,alt.christnet,talk.origins,talk.religion.misc,alt.consciousness,comp.ai.philosophy
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References: <3k7jnq$dqc@usenetw1.news.prodigy.com> <3m4grd$kcs@also.hooked.net> <GERHARD.GRUBER.95May12102349@atusel16.aut.alcatel.at> <hbonneyD8xAL6.4K5@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 24 May 1995 03:17:44 GMT
Lines: 49


> From: hbonney@netcom.com (Hugh Bonney)
> 
>     Why is this thread in comp.ai.philosophy? The "ai" refers to
>     "artificial intelligence". Please try to keep threads within
>     newsgroups which attract an interested audience.
> 
>     H. ---

Well, so far our human efforts to produce a logic-based
aftificial intelligence have failed because such a device
lacks concepts such as `faith' and `doubt'.

You are supposed to be studying the responses that the
Jesus advocates are providing. It is excellent raw material
concerning the use and maintenance of belief structures.
It is also a demonstration that logical thought is not
a REQUIREMENT for passing the Turing Test.

In 6 weeks you will be tested by being asked to program
an illogical artificial intelligence that can convince
the examiner that it believes in something. It must be
able to demonstrate:

* That its belief structure is not perturbed by
  the fact that such belief has no productive purpose.

* An ability to completely miss the point of probing
  questions with a answer that sounds important
  for a while (but doesn't answer the question)
  then trails off with a handful of glib quotes.

* The keenness to find important distinctions
  between its belief and other ideas that are
  equally innane but obviously wrong.

If and when you get this first prototype off the
ground, you must then add a `doubt' function whereby
it can (at appropriate times) completely ignore
its own belief structure for something temporarily
more appropriate -- then back to believing again
later.

Well someone has to keep their sense of humour.
Now a `humour' function is not only the MOST
difficult to program but also something that is
ignored by almost all cognitive research.

	- Tel
