[ExI] The symbol grounding problem in strong AI

[Gordon Swobe]

--- On Wed, 12/16/09, John Clark <jonkc at bellsouth.net> wrote:

>> To test whether you really believed this, I asked if it would
> matter if we constructed the zeros out of beer cans and
> toilet paper. Somewhat to my astonishment, you replied that
> such a brain would still have consciousness by "logical
> necessity". 
> 
> I'll be damned if I know why you were astonished,
> and I'll be damned to understand how it could be
> anything other than a logical necessity. 

If you or Stathis can show me a coherent scientific theory that explains how a mountain of empty beer cans squirting neurotransmitters into the spaces between themselves will constitute a mind capable of overcoming the symbol grounding problem then I'll promote the idea to something better than "highly speculative hypothesis".

I don't think it would work even with full beer cans. Not even if they were Heinekens.

-gts