[ExI] Meaningless Symbols.

[Stathis Papaioannou]

2010/1/11 John Clark <jonkc at bellsouth.net>:

> If the computer did understand the meaning you think the machine would
> continue to operate exactly as it did before, back when it didn't have the
> slightest understanding of anything. So, given that understanding is a
> completely useless property why should computer scientists even bother
> figuring out ways to make a machine understand? Haven't they got anything
> better to do?

Gordon has in mind a special sort of understanding which makes no
objective difference and, although he would say it makes a subjective
difference, it is not a subjective difference that a person could
notice.


-- 
Stathis Papaioannou