[extropy-chat] Role of Observer is not Relevant

[Stathis Papaioannou]

On 3/28/07, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

On Wed, Mar 28, 2007 at 07:51:59PM +1000, Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
>
> >    A simple program which counts to itself
>
> What does that mean? Would main(){int i;for(i=0;1;i++);} qualify as a
> "simple program which counts to itself"? Or does it have to be
> a machine vision package, and a robotic arm operating the abacus?
> I can't parse the "to itself" requirement.
>

I remind you of what you said earlier about counting:

No, of course. Until something or someone who can read the bead arrangment
> comes along, and reads the number. The counting process is an abstract
> measurement upon a particular physical system configuration. In order
> to do that, you need a) an appropriate physical system b) appropriate
> configuration c) an agent capable of that measurement. Of course, in
> some cases you can have all three in the same entity.


Would your counting program above satisfy requirement (c) by itself? If so,
why wouldn't the abacus not also satisfy requirement (c) in the absence of
an external interpreter?

Stathis Papaioannou
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