X-Message-Number: 3961
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 1995 21:22:01 -0800
From: John K Clark <>
Subject: SCI.CRYONICS Uploading

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 (Thomas Donaldson) Wrote:

	    >Even Moravec is someone whom I doubt would make such a machine
	    >when push comes to shove.
	    
I doubt that, I doubt that very much. 
	    
	    >it becomes clear that at some level you must leave off dealing
	    >with symbols. It's what the symbols MEAN that is important
	     
Symbols symbolize things, and one of those things are events in
the real world. When one symbol triggers another symbol there is
an isomorphism to occurrences outside of the brain.
	     
	    >flatworms can show very primitive learning. When they learn to
	    >turn left or  right in a T-maze, are they manipulating symbols?
	    
Yes, but I don't think an animal much simpler than that could. I
doubt that the hardware realization of a symbol can be all the
way down to the single neuron level. A symbol must be able to
interact with any other symbols back and forth, most ( but not
all) of the information a neuron handles travels down a one
dimensional axon, and in one direction. Even the simplest
symbols probably require several neurons working together.   
	    
	    >We can't find out the meaning of words from a dictionary alone
	    
That's true. All the definitions in a dictionary are made of
words that are also defined in the dictionary with more words.
We are saved from circularity because we learn the meaning of
most words not from a definition but from a demonstration. We
learn that a symbol in our head, in this case a word,
corresponds to an event that happens outside ourselves.
	    

				   John K Clark          

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