Thinking Machines Can There Be Are We Essay - 927 Words

â€Å"Thinking Machines: Can there be? Are we?† Queen F5. The bearded 5 foot 10 creature, composed of a myriad of organic molecules ranging from secretory epithelial cells to antiparallel strands of nucleotides wound together in a double helix, anxiously hauls his piece forward. Bishop G8. The metallic machine, developed by the most brilliant German engineers yet manufactured using a plain set of shiny screws, cooling fans, and electrical wires, responds with a bold â€Å"checkmate†. Unlike your typical game of chess on a Sunday evening, the contestants are far from ordinary; one of them is Garry Kasparov, a former world champion, and the other is IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer. Yet for many, the first player is one that can pride itself with the ability to think, while the latter’s intelligence is artificial and ceases to exist without man, its creator. As such, we are faced with the ever-present question: Are machines truly capable of thinking? Not only is this question an entertaining philosophical brain teaser, but it is also in desperate need of an answer as our society becomes increasingly dependent on the cognitive powers of machines. With BBC’s recent report stating that â€Å"35% of jobs in the UK are at high risks of computerisation over the following 20 years,† the cost of overestimating or even underestimating machines’ intellectual capabilities could be devastating. Contrary to its straightforward faà §ade, the knowledge question poses numerous intricacies. What does itShow MoreRelatedWhat Does It Mean?1587 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Thinking† has become so casual in our everyday lives that we sometimes take it for granted and never really think about the process of â€Å"thinking†. What does it mean to â€Å"think†? What qualities do one need to meet to be considered â€Å"capable of thinking†? Being a human involves thinking and thinking involves experiences and emotions. In his paper, Turing questions these traits and brings in new theories to support his statement that machines are capable of thinking, using his imitation game as an exampleRead MoreAnalysis Of Alan Turing s Can Machines Think?1587 Words   |  7 PagesOn his essay â€Å"Can machines think?† Alan Turing, a great mathematician, and creator of the Turing Test presents us with the initial concept of what is now considered artificial intelli gence. He states that eventually, as time progresses, machines will be able to think like humans. But, can a machine really think like a human? Can a machine even think on its own, or it is just based on human science and engineering to make computer systems perform tasks that require intelligence when done by humansRead MoreComputers Can Not Have Minds1490 Words   |  6 PagesAlan Turing, â€Å"father† of modern computers, created the Turing Machine in order to prove, through the use of an imitation game, that computers can think. John Searle argued that the Turing Test is simply just imitating, rather than thinking. Based on Searle’s argument against the Turing Test, I think that computers cannot have minds. Although Turing argues that computers can think, there are many arguments, such as Searle’s Chinese room argument, and defenses that I will present that support SearleRead MoreThe Problem Of Cell 13, By Jacques Futrelle1156 Words   |  5 PagesEverybod y has something they love and are committed to. Unquestionably, in the short story, â€Å"The Problem of Cell 13,† by Jacques Futrelle, Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen is not an exception. The Thinking Machine, as he is colloquially known as, is challenged by associates Dr. Charles Ransome and Mr. Alfred Fielding to escape from a high-security prison cell using only his mind. Being as passionate as he is about logic, he accepts. In the story, Futrelle conveys the human experience of commitmentRead MoreTuring, Searle, and Artificial Intelligence1260 Words   |  6 Pagesof the present scenario are as follows: a machine, Siri*, capable of passing the Turing test, is being insulted by a 10 year old boy, whose mother is questioning the appropriateness of punishing him for his behavior. We cannot answer the mothers question without speculating as to what A.M. Turing and John Searle, two 20th century philosophers whose views on artificial intelligence are starkly contrasting, would say about this predicament. Furthermore, we must provide fair and balanced considerationRead MoreTrurls M1077 Words   |  5 PagesTitle: Trurl’s Machine Author: Stanislaw Lem As a boy Stanislaw Lem showed an early interest in science as well as in the imaginary worlds of fantasy and science fiction. The young Lem’s interest in tinkering mechanical devices of all sorts was put to use by secretly damaging the German vehicles during the Nazi occupation. Later on, he became a full time writer establishing himself as leading science fiction writer in Eastern Europe. This writer from Lvov Poland (now Ukraine) worked on seriousRead MoreCritique on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnizs Theories on the Mind1034 Words   |  5 Pagesthe mind of a substance, including humans, is not a composite entity. To Leibniz, the mind is similar to a mill, in the sense that it is like a machine where all of the parts of it work together. When, in reality, the mind is something that is complex, and needs both an intellectual and a technical side to it for it to function –quite unlike the machine Leibniz claims it is. His argument, known as â€Å"The Mill Argument†, states that if a person were to walk into a mill, he or she would observe theRead MoreAnalysis Of Searle s The Chinese Room Argument Essay1597 Words   |  7 PagesChinese Room Argument, asks, if a computer can use data to output answers does that computer understand? In Searleâ⠂¬â„¢s experiment, he acts as a computer and is given translations of Chinese symbols. He states that even though he can find the appropriate translations for the symbols and output answers he still does not understand Chinese. Prior to my previous argument, I look to investigate in what instance can the computer be thought of as an understanding machine. In order to do this, I must investigateRead MoreArtificial Intelligence And The Singularity Conference1149 Words   |  5 Pages A few days later, a journalist asked me to respond to his statement, and I answered: The coming of artificial intelligence will likely be the most significant event in the history of the human species. Of course, it can go badly, as Elon Musk warned recently. However, it can just as well catapult our species to new and unimaginable transhumanist heights. Within a few months of the launch of artificial intelligence, expect nearly every science and technology book to be completely rewritten withRead MoreThe Mind And Machines, An Oxymoron?1365 Words   |  6 PagesMinds and Machines, an oxymoron? Can machines think? This question, addressed by Descartes and Turing, leads to discussion of how thought is constructed and what is the mind made of. At the heart of the debate, there is a schism between Cartesian dualism and functionalism. Language is a method considered by both sides as evidence of thought and provides the test for intelligence. This essay will look at Descartes’ objections and Turing’s arguments for whether machine can ever think. This essay will