X-Message-Number: 14732 Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 19:08:25 -0700 From: Lee Corbin <> Subject: Re: communicating & philosophy Robert Ettinger wrote in #14717) >But Lee and his fellow strong AI people... The issue of strong vs. weak AI has nothing to do with any of this. (In fact, I am of the opinion that strong AI is probably wrong.) >Lee says correctly that one's attitudes, based on habit >or instinct, can be "wrong"--but he fails to identify >the criterion or criteria of "right." I can't find exactly where I said that, but, anyway, we must tread very lightly upon words such as "right" and "wrong". (Although if you ever do find a criterion for "right" please let me know! It would be so useful; I wouldn't have to think so hard and always be trying to use my best judgment.... :-) As you probably know, anybody who tried to define right and wrong would be engaged in a completely useless and doomed exercise. By the time that he or she is six or seven, he or she already usually knows how to use those words, and only much later starts talking nonsense (especially after having taken a class in philosophy). We rightly (sorry!) come to view some beliefs as correct and others mistaken. I'm sure (from your writings) that you don't really get hung up on certain words either. But here's my prescription: if any word, like "right", or "wrong", or "true" begins to cause communication difficulties, rephrase right around it. Lee Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=14732