The Ultimate Analytical Engine

[variant]

The OP asked for opinion. I gave it. The OP didn't ask for explanation or reasoning why I would believe such. To state an opinion of what is, in answering the direct question, is not arrogance.

You made the statement that NO human knows such things else you would have known something about it. Yes, that is arrogance.

I happen to believe what I stated because the subject just happens to be something that I know a great deal about. But I also know that anything that I know, many others know as well. I also know that governments, militaries, and large corporations have all been developing strategies for utilizing processing in as much secrecy as they can manage.

It would be insane for any military to show all it knew about information processing to a potential enemy - and that means you.

30 years ago, I was working on military projects that have yet to be used in the open. And those were nothing compared to others even at that time.

But think about it. You know that technology advances exponentially. You know that "they" are in a position to have to keep their best behind closed doors. You know that they can see what you develop yet you cannot see what they develop. This gives them an even faster development rate. You know that this has been going on for at least 50 years. You know that the laser, for example was unheard of by the population for 20 years after the inventor came up with it.

And yet somehow you believe now that because you haven't heard them tell you all about what intelligence is and how it all works, even though this subject would be highly concerning to them, they just must still be totally ignorant on even what the word "consciousness" means.

Even the notion that a word cannot be defined is absurd in itself. A word is ALWAYS presumed with a definition within the person using it. They might not be able to explain that definition very well, but it isn't even a word without having one.


C'mon wake-up

Fair enough.

Ok I concede the point that I don't know what humans don't know (as that would be impossible). I suppose I should think and qualify my statements more correctly.

But when I made the statement I meant it as in the terms that humanity at large didn't know, as in publicly.

For instance, humanity at large doesn’t have a cure for AIDS, and humanity at large doesn’t have artificial intelligence in the same faction.

That doesn’t mean that we can define consciousness in this public forum, or in any public forum, even if, some human, somewhere, understands it explicitly.

 

[ReluctantProphet]

I apologize for my being worn out from the insanity.

.. and humanity at large doesn’t have artificial intelligence in the same faction.
That doesn’t mean that we can define consciousness in this public forum, or in any public forum, even if, some human, somewhere, understands it explicitly.

On a different note. Think of the relevance of that statement.

Definitions mean agreement as to the concepts being discussed. Discussion is what forums are all about. The logic concerning most concepts isn't really that difficult to find a great deal of agreement on after a little discussion.

Agreement means working together rather than in conflict. Working in such harmony magnifies speed and results greatly and ends the impetus of war.

Yet despite the obvious gain potential from merely defining words, as you said, in any forum, such is impractical.

Such seems to be a good problem to heartedly address.

 

[ebia]

A question for the proponents of strong AI (that computers have the potential to be as intelligent as humans and intelligent/concious in the same as humans): Would it be possible to create an AI with a purely mechanical system? Granted such a machine might have to be as big as the solar system or even as big as a galaxy, but would it be theoretically possible? Could intelligence possibly exist among gears and punch cards just as it does in our neurons? Or is there something about a mechanical system that would prevent intelligence from occuring?

If it's possible for a digital electronic computer, it's theoretically possible for a mechanical Analytical Engine - mathematically they are the same. Of course the problems of speed, scale and reliability of moving parts would make a mechanical system a practical impossibility.