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Single Idea 6657

[filed under theme 18. Thought / B. Mechanics of Thought / 6. Artificial Thought / a. Artificial Intelligence ]

Full Idea

Lack of motivation and curiosity are perhaps the most fundamental reason for denying that computers could be, in any literal sense, rational beings.

Gist of Idea

Computers can't be rational, because they lack motivation and curiosity

Source

E.J. Lowe (Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind [2000], Ch. 9)

Book Ref

Lowe,E.J.: 'Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind' [CUP 2000], p.230


A Reaction

I don't see why programmers couldn't move those two priorities to the top of the list in the program. When you switch on a robot, its first words could be 'Teach me something!', or 'Let's do something interesting!' Every piece of software has priorities.


The 10 ideas with the same theme [possibility of building thinking/conscious machine]:

With wonderful new machines being made, a speaking machine no longer seems impossible [La Mettrie]
AI can't predict innovation, or consequences, or external relations, or external events [MacIntyre]
What matters about neuro-science is the discovery of the functional role of the chemistry [Dennett]
Frame Problem: how to eliminate most beliefs as irrelevant, without searching them? [Fodor]
Is thought a syntactic computation using representations? [Fodor, by Rey]
Images can't replace computation, as they need it [Rey]
CRTT is good on deduction, but not so hot on induction, abduction and practical reason [Rey]
The 'Frame Problem' is how to program the appropriate application of general knowledge [Lowe]
Computers can't be rational, because they lack motivation and curiosity [Lowe]
Modern AI is mostly machine-based pattern recognition [Seth]