Emergence of behavior through software

[Alan Grimes]

Lynn H. Maxson wrote:

> I know nothing in rule-based
> software systems, the only kind there is currently, that stands as
> a barrier, a stopper, to such an effort.

There are also many software systems for which the rules are only a
substrate for more interesting behaviors. Take for example Neural networks
which often operate on fractional numbers and appear to be similar in
fuzzyness to the brain. While such work is still in its infancy it is still
not fair to say that today's computers are utterly incapable of
non-symbolic operations. Wheather they are sufficiently powerfull has been
assumed to be true but it takes only one example to prove that the turing
machine and the lambda calculus to be non-universal. Some such examples
exist but currently it is thought that they lie completely beyond any
machine, including the brain. 

> To the best of my knowledge you use the brain in moving your
> fingers over the keyboard now.  In truth you have what you want
> now.:-)

Yes but what if we were to go a step further. Lets look at the problem of
filesystem managment as a good baseline. As of today the only method I have
of effecting modifications to it is to generate strings of symbols either
with my keyboard or with my mouse. What if it were possible to directly
interface the brain to it? What I mean is instead of feeding it strings, it
could be formed as an abstraction within my mind in such a way that by
effecting changes on the immage in my head I could do such tasks directly
without having to generate any strings? What if, beyond that, it were
possible to bridge the "cybernetic gap" as I call it further to the point
where there is no distinguishable border between my intellect and that
stored in the computer? That would be truly awesome! =)

-- 
In this year's presidential race you *do* have a choice!
VOTE Browne/Olivier The ticket to freedom!
http://users.erols.com/alangrimes/  <my website.

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