Re: A question for tomorrow
Posted by
Russ Abbott on
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/A-question-for-tomorrow-tp7593073p7593077.html
Nick, I can't believe you are asking such a question -- unless by "know" you mean something very different from the common understanding. No computer knows anything, although it may have lots of stored information. (Information is meant in the Shannon sense.)
For example, Oxford
defines knowledge as "
Facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject." This is distinct from, for example, having access to an encyclopedia--or even having memorized the contents of one. Turing machines, and computers in general, do not have an understanding of anything--even though they may have lots of Shannon-style information (which we understand as) related to some subject.
(Like Glen, though, I am interested in the results, if any, of this morning's meeting.)
-- Russ Abbott
Professor, Computer Science
California State University, Los Angeles
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