[ExI] Meaningless Symbols.

[John Clark]

On Jan 15, 2010, at 9:02 PM, Gordon Swobe wrote:
> 
> As I pointed out in my original message, "print" counts as a syntactic rule.

Putting things in inflexible little boxes called "syntax" and "semantics" is an entirely human invention, nature doesn't make any such rigid distinctions. In the DNA code CAU means put the amino acid Histidine right here, and I don't care if thats syntax or semantics it created you.

> Although it stretches the definition of "understanding" I can for the sake of argument agree that s/h systems mechanically understand syntax. They cannot however get semantics from their so-called understanding of syntax.

You have been saying that for over a month now, you have found many new ways to express the same statement but you have yet to give us one reason to think it is true, and you have ignored the many reasons offered to think it is not true.

> Let us say that we have a sophisticated program that behaves in every way like a human such that it passes the Turing test. We then add to that program the line 'print "Hello World"' (or perhaps 'speak "Hello World"') such that the command will execute at an appropriate time still consistent with passing the Turing test. That advanced program will not understand the meaning of "Hello World" any more than does the one line program running alone. 

You have been saying that for over a month now, you have found many new ways to express the same statement but you have yet to give us one reason to think it is true, and you have ignored the many reasons offered to think it is not true.

> Nor can humans get semantics from syntax, for that matter, and humans really do understand syntax.

What a remarkably silly thing to say! If that were true why would people read books? Why would they even talk to each other?

> S/H systems can do more than follow syntactic rules for crunching words and symbols. They have no way to attach meanings to the symbols or to understand those meanings. Those semantic functions belong to the humans who program and operate them.

I wish you'd stop dancing around and just say what you believe, humans have something that is not information (software) or matter (hardware), humans have a soul. I don't believe in the soul.

  John K Clark






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