Yes. I don't think Nick is every going to write such a paper (as opposed, say, to participating along with a bunch of you in writing such a book). However, as I work through the correspondence of the last week (Gawd what a splatter), I have yet to see any support for the idea that there is any fundamental reason why a computer could not be constructed to exhibit any free will that humans have.
It begins to seem to me that "free will" and "emergence" are the same sort of concept and likely to die by the same sword. Once you define "free will" as that which is "spontaneous" (i.e., not explained by anything), you have to prepare yourself for the moment when it is explained. Nick Nicholas Thompson Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology Clark University [email protected] https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/ -----Original Message----- From: Friam <[email protected]> On Behalf Of glen?C Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2020 2:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [FRIAM] alternative response Well, the reason I'm throwing this idea out there in the first place is because parts of it map (roughly) to LOTS of algorithms I've run across over the years. Nick was asking and I'm simply trying to spitball something that might be constructive. You're free to analogize to your heart's content. 8^D If Nick tries to write a paper with something like this in it, HE would have to do a LOT of literature searching to trace each element. On 6/16/20 1:17 PM, Frank Wimberly wrote: > I've only read your first paragraph but isn't that exactly what Samuel's > checker program did by revising regression coefficients as it gained > experience. We're talking late 1960s. - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
