Do you think it's reasonable to describe what a computer program for automated theorem proving, chess playing, etc. does as "thinking"?
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If no, I would appreciate an explanation of what you think distinguishes it from a human who is doing the same task.
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Replying to @DRMacIver
1. are computational tools thinking? (abacus, paper) 2. are things that do computation by virtue of following physical laws thinking? (water, clothing) 3. what components of the complex idea “thinking” are missing from computation? among other things
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Replying to @literalbanana
1. Certainly there are thought processes that have such tools as an essential component. 2. Brains are things that do computation by virtue of following physical laws. 3. If a human followed exactly the same steps as the solver, would that then *not* be thinking?
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Replying to @DRMacIver
re: 2 - I agree about brains! brains, computers, and pieces of chalk follow physical laws in order to perform computations. are they all thinking?
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Replying to @literalbanana
Potentially, yes. A piece of chalk just sitting there is not currently thinking, but a piece of chalk being used on a blackboard is. (I distinguish "thinking" and "having subjective experience" and I'm trying to figure out how much that clashes with people's intuition)
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Replying to @DRMacIver
that was a stupid way for me to put it because I meant that the chalk obeys gravity and falls down on the ground if you drop it - thinking?
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Replying to @literalbanana
Probably not, though I can come up with elaborate setups in which it is a component of a thought process.
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Replying to @DRMacIver
I think of fermentation technology as “exostomach” - thinking technology is fine as “exobrain” and I’d include writing in that
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Replying to @literalbanana
The problem with the exobrain framing is that it doesn't work for thought processes that are shared between two conscious entities. Which of the two is the other's exobrain?
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I agree that the natural unit of people is not the individual organism
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