[ExI] LLM's cannot be concious

[Darin Sunley]

write a paragraph that uses the word pontificate

As a professor of philosophy, Dr. Smith had a tendency to pontificate in
his lectures, often going off on tangents about obscure philosophical
concepts. Despite some students finding his lectures tedious, others
appreciated his deep understanding of the subject matter. However, in
department meetings, his colleagues found his pontification to be
frustrating, as he tended to dominate the conversation and dismiss
alternative viewpoints. Despite this, Dr. Smith's passion for philosophy
was clear, and his willingness to pontificate demonstrated his commitment
to sharing his knowledge with others.
[image: dsunley at gmail.com]
define the word pontificate

The word "pontificate" can have a few different meanings, but one common
definition is to express one's opinion or ideas in a way that suggests a
superior or authoritative knowledge or understanding of a topic, often in a
dogmatic or pompous manner. It can also refer to the act of officiating as
a pontiff, or to assume or act as if in a position of great authority or
power.
[image: dsunley at gmail.com]
Relate this definition to the paragraph you just wrote

In the paragraph I wrote, the word "pontificate" was used to describe Dr.
Smith's behavior as a professor and colleague. Specifically, it was used to
describe his tendency to express his ideas in a manner that suggested a
superior or authoritative knowledge of philosophy, which some found to be
tedious or dogmatic. This behavior was evident in his lectures, where he
would often go off on tangents about obscure philosophical concepts, and in
department meetings, where he was known to dominate the conversation and
dismiss alternative viewpoints. Despite these negative aspects, his
willingness to pontificate also demonstrated his commitment to sharing his
knowledge and passion for philosophy with others.

This thing understands the word "pontificate" by any reasonable definition
of "understand".


On Sat, Mar 18, 2023 at 4:40 PM William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

>  I can then ask the system to relate its definition to the original
> utterance,
> and it does,
>
> I think this is the key here.  If the system only gives you a synonym for
> the word it is understanding nothing.  I still think that 'understand'
> needs explanation   bill w
>
> On Sat, Mar 18, 2023 at 5:31 PM Darin Sunley via extropy-chat <
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
>> If a system can formulate a sentence that employs a word,
>> and I can then ask the system to tell me the definition of that word,
>> and it does,
>> and I can then ask the system to relate its definition to the original
>> utterance,
>> and it does,
>> and the system goes on to continue to use that word,
>> and all of the system's uses of that word are consistent with the
>> definition,
>> then I no longer even understand what it could possibly mean for that
>> system to /not/ "really understand" that word.
>>
>> You might just as well say humans don't "really understand" words, since
>> all our neurons are doing is manipulating concentrations of
>> neurotransmitters and calcium ions.
>>
>> On Sat, Mar 18, 2023 at 10:15 AM William Flynn Wallace via extropy-chat <
>> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Is there any referent for the word 'understand' as it relates to an AI?
>>> bill w
>>>
>>> On Sat, Mar 18, 2023 at 4:42 AM Gordon Swobe via extropy-chat <
>>> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I think those who think LLM  AIs like ChatGPT are becoming conscious or
>>>> sentient like humans fail to understand a very important point: these
>>>> software applications only predict language. They are very good at
>>>> predicting which word should come next in a sentence or question, but they
>>>> have no idea what the words mean. They do not and cannot understand what
>>>> the words refer to. In linguistic terms, they lack referents.
>>>>
>>>> Maybe you all already understand this, or maybe you have some reasons
>>>> why I am wrong.
>>>>
>>>> -gts
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