Single Idea 3384

[catalogued under 17. Mind and Body / C. Functionalism / 7. Chinese Room]

Full Idea

It is by no means clear that any human could manage to do what Searle imagines himself to be doing in the Chinese Room - that is, short of throwing away the rule book and learning some real Chinese.

Gist of Idea

The person couldn't run Searle's Chinese Room without understanding Chinese

Source

Jaegwon Kim (Philosophy of Mind [1996], p.100)

Book Reference

Kim,Jaegwon: 'Philosophy of Mind' [Westview 1998], p.100


A Reaction

It is not clear how a rule book could contain answers to an infinity of possible questions. The Chinese Room is just a very poor analogy with what is envisaged in the project of artificial intelligence.