Author: Sune Fischer
Date: 02:49:12 08/06/02
Go up one level in this thread
On August 06, 2002 at 00:22:57, Russell Reagan wrote: >On August 05, 2002 at 11:10:55, Terry McCracken wrote: > >>Do computers make decisions? > >This is all just me thinking out loud here... > >I just had an idea that I don't think has been discussed in this thread. Where >does quantum theory come into play in this discussion? For instance, if quantum >theory is correct, then when something is in an unknown state, it is in all >possible states, right? I think you are missing a few pieces of the puzzle here ;) Quantum theory has nothing to do with the decision making process of a human. I think our decision making process is as determanistic as the output from a computer. It does have a lot more variables though, like our mood, our state of stress, our upbringing and so on. But like someone else said, we can't re-run the experiment and see if the human responce would be the same. My take on this, is that humans really do resemble machines in many ways. We have been programmed by our parents, our school, our environment and life experience in general, most of our reactions can be predicted by those that know us well. The major difference is that humans was built from the beginning to develop on their own, to absorb knowledge, to learn and adapt. We have been fitted with the will to survive, we are curious and have feelings, we can comprehend things that are abstract, but most important of all - we are conscious beings. So what is it to be intelligent, to be alive? I have never seen good definitions of those, and that makes the whole discussion kind of fuzzy to begin with. It is like having a discussion over if a picture is beautiful, or a piece of music is good. It is pointless until we have a clear definition. What should that definition be? Now _that_ would be an interesting discussion :) -S. >If that is true, then we could determine whether or not a computer makes a >decision based upon whether it branches into all possible states resulting from >each possible decision. If a computer doesn't make a decision, then it's just >going to remain in the one state. > >Maybe if we were a little more advanced we could test this? I think it would >work. For example, if the decision the computer will make is unknown, then it >will be all decisions, and is therefore a decision (boy that's confusing). > >If you know the code that will drive the decision (and can therefore know what >the decision will be beforehand) then by quantum theory it wouldn't be a >decision since it wouldn't branch into every possible decision. If the code is >unknown, and the resulting decision cannot be known, then the computer is making >a decision according to quantum theory. > >So, do you think it's possible, if we were more advanced and had the technology >to be able to measure quantum properties of this experiment, for us to prove >whether or not a computer can make a decision? I think that would be very cool. >No more debating stuff based on personal beliefs. Finally we'd have some hard >facts about whether or not a computer could ever be intelligent, right? Wouldn't >this prove or disprove whether or not it's possible for a computer to have >intelligence? If it was proven that a computer could not make a decision, and >relied solely on it's creator's code, then that would mean that computers would >be incapable of intelligence, right? > >Sounds interesting to me :) > >Russell
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