Re: A question for tomorrow

Posted by Frank Wimberly-2 on
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/A-question-for-tomorrow-tp7593073p7593087.html

I will channel Nick based on our conversation yesterday.  "A computer is a Turing machine and it can answer questions."* I apologize, Nick, if that's not your position.

*Alexa, Siri, Hey Google

On Sat, Apr 27, 2019, 7:22 AM <[hidden email]> wrote:

Maybe I've missed it, but has no one pointed out that a "Turing Machine"
is a mathematical formalism?  I may be a stick in the mud, but I refuse to
extend the definition of "know" so far as to make "A Turing Machine knows
[something]" a meaningful statement.  You might as well ask what a Goedel
Enumeration knows, or what The Classification of Finite Simple Groups
knows.  Hell, what does the integer 1 know???

Now maybe in you-alls' circles, "Turing Machine" is used to refer to some
kinds of physical implementations of particular Turing Machines.  But
that's a pernicious identification that can only lead to tears.


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FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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