The Mind of a Computer :: Computers Technology Essays

The Mind of a Computer A new issue has come about since the building of computers. But the idea behind it is not such a new issue, for as long ago as Plato and Aristotle, the idea of a mind was pondered about. With the up-and-coming technology, the idea of artificial intelligence has exploded. It is one that many fiction writers have prospered on. But how far away are they from the truth? Take the story of The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov, written in 1976, when most of the population didn’t know what a computer was capable of. The idea of the unknown scared us, a robot that appeared to be just like us, but it was also intriguing, as demonstrated by the story’s success. What was it that attracted the population to this story? The reasonable answer lies within the question this paper will attempt to answer. That is, Can a computer have a mind? The answer to this question is an obvious one, but we will examine it anyway, as it needs to be addressed because of all of the popular science-fict ion writings. A computer can have a mind, and as you read further into this, you will see that computers are made of the same things we are, they transfer information using the same techniques we do, they are complex enough, and they are aware. This is enough to give them the possibility to posses a mind. Starting with the first part of the definition of mind, one might conceive of a computer that can posses a mind. The Biologist might make an argument against me, stating that only living things can have mind, that it is only those things that are biological, consisting of organic compounds, that may have the potential to posses mind. But I say to the Biologist, what is it that makes up these organic compounds? What is it about these molecules that make them construct themselves into a biological being? The answer is a simple one to any Chemist, for he knows that organic molecules are made up of elements and these elements are indeed atoms. The Physicist will most definitely agree t hat these atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These protons, neutrons, and electrons are what make up every atom in the universe; the same three particles come together and form all the materials known to man. The Mind of a Computer :: Computers Technology Essays The Mind of a Computer A new issue has come about since the building of computers. But the idea behind it is not such a new issue, for as long ago as Plato and Aristotle, the idea of a mind was pondered about. With the up-and-coming technology, the idea of artificial intelligence has exploded. It is one that many fiction writers have prospered on. But how far away are they from the truth? Take the story of The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov, written in 1976, when most of the population didn’t know what a computer was capable of. The idea of the unknown scared us, a robot that appeared to be just like us, but it was also intriguing, as demonstrated by the story’s success. What was it that attracted the population to this story? The reasonable answer lies within the question this paper will attempt to answer. That is, Can a computer have a mind? The answer to this question is an obvious one, but we will examine it anyway, as it needs to be addressed because of all of the popular science-fict ion writings. A computer can have a mind, and as you read further into this, you will see that computers are made of the same things we are, they transfer information using the same techniques we do, they are complex enough, and they are aware. This is enough to give them the possibility to posses a mind. Starting with the first part of the definition of mind, one might conceive of a computer that can posses a mind. The Biologist might make an argument against me, stating that only living things can have mind, that it is only those things that are biological, consisting of organic compounds, that may have the potential to posses mind. But I say to the Biologist, what is it that makes up these organic compounds? What is it about these molecules that make them construct themselves into a biological being? The answer is a simple one to any Chemist, for he knows that organic molecules are made up of elements and these elements are indeed atoms. The Physicist will most definitely agree t hat these atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These protons, neutrons, and electrons are what make up every atom in the universe; the same three particles come together and form all the materials known to man.

Descartes Notion of the Mind/Body Problem in Relation to Free Will

Descartes notion of the mind/body problem in relation to Free Will Descartes took an extreme skeptical position by asking, â€Å"What is impossible to doubt, even when trying to believe that everything is false? † His answer was: â€Å"I think, therefore I am†; which is Descartes' most famous one-liner and is the one that explains his understanding of the dualism argument. The term ‘dualism’ has a variety of uses in the history of thought. In general, the idea is that, for some particular domain, there are two fundamental kinds or categories of things or principles.In the philosophy of mind, dualism is the theory that the mental and the physical or mind and body are, in some sense, radically different kinds of thing. The main discussion about dualism tends to start from the assumption of the reality of a physical world, and then ways of considering arguments for why the mind cannot be treated as simply part of that physical world. According to substance dua lism, our minds and our bodies are two distinct substances capable of existing apart.Descartes substance dualism was based in the belief that the universe consisted of two different kinds of substances that he called res extensa (physical things) and res cogitans (thinking things). In other words, the essence of mind is thought while the essence of body is extension. This belief also leads to his assumption that Free Will is self-evident. In other words, if one is capable of doubting the existence of things learned through experience even when some of these may be true, then it is obvious that we have the freedom to disbelieve, thus free will.The full argument can be broken down into seven steps: (1) if I can clearly and distinctly perceive something, then God makes something that exists that corresponding to my clear and distinct perception, otherwise God would be a deceiver. (2) If I can clearly and distinctly perceive X and Y as complete things whose principal attributes exclude each other, then God can make X and Y exist apart from each other. (3) If X and Y can exist apart from each other (whether or not they really do) then they are really distinct. 4) I can clearly and distinctly perceive mind as a complete thing to which extension does not pertain. (5) I can clearly and distinctly perceive body as a complete thing to which thought does not pertain. (6) Therefore, God could bring it about that mind and body exist apart from each other. (7) Therefore, mind and body are really distinct (SparkNotes Editors). This argument is clearly understandable when we separate it as is shown at the previous line.In overall, what is most important to remember about the argument is if I am able to perceive is because I exist, if I exist a divine being must had created this thought on my mind, which would imply, that God make me able of perceiving mind and body as two completely separate substances; If God allows me to perceive this two things separate, then it must be tr uth that mind and body exist apart from each other. The problem for Descartes is two-fold. First, if humans are free, then that which is free is not subject to the laws of physics or res-extensa like Descartes called the term.By definition all physical things are subject to the laws of physics. When we contrast these conditions of physical laws, and we are talking about the mind, it fails. The mind which is described as the source of will, must be distinct from the body and must not be physical in the natural world. In other words, the presence of a mind allows human beings to transcend their physical bodies and be free. However, we need to be aware that even is Descartes is claimed this separation of substances, he recognizes that the mind is affected by the body in certain special way.He would argue this by explaining the religious concept of the soul. Descartes complicates the simplistic notion of â€Å"mind-body† by introducing â€Å"soul† as part of mindful awaren ess. This whole argument would turn from mind-body problem to Mind, Body and Soul. The problem is that the strong attributes of the mind/body combine tend to determine the attributes of the soul. † The soul moves and feels in the body directly. The pineal gland allows the mind and body to interact said Descartes, which was proven wrong lately. Descartes such as many other philosophers was a believer of the soul.Plato for example, argued that, as the body is from the material world, the soul is from the world of ideas and is thus immortal. He believed the soul was temporarily united with the body and would only be separated at death, when it would return to the world of Forms. Since the soul does not exist in time and space, as the body does, it can access universal truths. For Plato, ideas are the true reality, and are experienced by the soul. The body is for Plato empty in that it cannot access the abstract reality of the world; it can only experience shadows.Aristotle, said, â€Å"It is not necessary to ask whether soul and body are one, just as it is not necessary to ask whether the wax and its shape are one, nor generally whether the matter of each thing and that of which it is the matter are one. For even if one and being are spoken of in several ways, what is properly so spoken of is the actuality†; in overall, the soul is a property exhibited by the body, one among many. Moreover, Aristotle proposed that when the body perishes, so does the soul, just as the shape of a building block disappears with destruction of the block.On the other hand, Descartes said, â€Å"My view is that this gland is the principal seat of the soul, and the place in which all our thoughts are formed†. This previous sentence definitely proves Descartes belief in the human soul and his concern of understanding it and explains it thru his works at the same time. Descartes conclude his argument saying that Since we can clearly and distinctly perceive of mind with out body and of body without mind, God can bring it about that mind can exist without body and body without mind. In other words, they are really distinct- Rene Descartes.Now, that we understand the mind-body argument from Descartes perspective, we can explain how he relates these two substances with the ability every human being free will. After the Scholastics, Descartes takes the conception of will and affirmed that the main ability of the mind is the ability of free will. In other words, for Descartes the essence of the mind consists of thought. Now, we found that the main focus of the argument is not the mind body argument, but the significance that Descartes gives to free will in his work. First thing, is to understand the significance and real purpose of the will.The will's practical function consist in fighting the passions; which means that we are literally able to control any action that we do, because we have freedom of choice. The argument here would be that the will is just the mind in its active capacity so the functioning of all mental faculties (intellect, imagination, memory, and sense perception) are dependent on the will (Ferguson). I truly believe that studying and understanding Descartes study of the will would resolve many of the gaps that philosopher had left on the way.Finally, we have got to the major argument of the paper that is explained how Descartes argument of mind-body is strictly relate with humans free will. Everything begins with the claim made by Descartes in his Meditation II, in which he affirms that willing, affirming, and denying is what gave us absolute freedom. Whenever we are aware of something, we are willing something, simple as that. Descartes concept of will is very cautious and quite interesting if one put himself of herself to understanding it.To explain this, Descartes begin by explain what is the intellect and how it relate and differ from the concept of will. Descartes complex treatment of freedom is due to t he complexity of the subject matter, which even with it difficulties it is pretty cogent and interesting. For Descartes, the will (which implies freedom) is dependent on the intellect for its functioning. In other words, without an idea there is nothing in which we can take a stand. Willing is just nothing but a way of thinking; will is infinite, while intellect is finite.The intellect is finite and limited because there are varying degrees at which perceptions and understanding can function. For example, some of us have extremely analysis ability while other can just do simple understanding. The will, on the other hand, is infinite because its efficacy is not a matter of degree. My ability of having free will, make me able to affirm or deny any proposition put to me by my intellect alone. From Descartes perspective, God has given us a will which has no limits and that can be dependent. Believe or not the will and the intellect are interacting most of the time.This is why; Descartes emphasizes the unity of the mind as the faculty of knowledge which he called pure â€Å"intellect†. However, the main focus is the interaction of the will with the soul on the one hand, and with the body, on the other. In conclusion, Descartes presented us a mind body problem from a Christian perspective, which had a purpose of affirmed the existence of the two substances, res-extensa and res cogitans completely separate from each other. To explain this, He described the mind as the source of will that must be distinct from the body and the physical world.We cannot will anything without understanding what are we willing and if we get a little deep into this thought is quite easy to make sense to it. We cannot leave behind either that Descartes, showed a strong concern to show his belief in the human soul while he would try to prove the existence of God, and even of himself. This would turn the whole argument to Mind, Body and soul, which is the real Christian perspective. In overall, he claimed that soul cannot exist in time and space; and that the attributes of the mind-body combine are the one that truly determine the attributes of the soul.Descartes began his explanation of the concept of will by affirming that the main ability of the mind is the ability of free will. Will, in other words, is the whole mind in its active capacity. To support this statement Descartes used many concepts in relation that in his theory, they all work together to make free will happen. By having theorical functions, practical functions, actions caused by the soul, and a strong direct relation with the mind-body problem, I truly believe that Descartes purpose of explaining his concern of the concept of will was well clearly done. Work CitedMihali, Andreea. â€Å"Descartes' Concept of Will. † Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada), 2007. Canada: ProQuest. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. Ferguson, Christopher J. â€Å"Free Will: An Automatic Response. † American Psychologist 55. 7 (2000): 762-763. PsycARTICLES. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on Principles of Philosophy. † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. n. d.. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. Marias, Julian. History of Philosophy. New York: Dover Publications Inc. , 196721. 210-222. Print. Angeles, Peter. The Harper Collins Dictionary Philosphy. 2nd. United States: Harper Collins Publishers, Print.

The Underlying Message of The Tyger by William Blake Essay

The Underlying Message of The Tyger by William Blake Blake’s legendary poem â€Å"The Tyger† is deceivingly straightforward. Though Blake uses â€Å"vividly simple language† (Hirsch, 244), the poem requires a deeper understanding from the reader. There are many misconceptions concerning the symbols in â€Å"The Tyger† (specifically the tiger itself). This often leads to confusion concerning the underlying message of the poem. Compared to Blake’s â€Å"meek† and â€Å"mild† lamb, the tiger is hard to accept. It is a symbol for that which people fear. For some, their fears are not reality, and are much easier to ignore than accept. But no matter how hard to accept, the lamb and tiger are equally important, and together create a balance that is ideally healthy†¦show more content†¦That is to say that good and evil would reside together in every living creature. Blake’s tyger could also be an example of the Manichean way of thinking. Though the religions of Christianity, Monotheism, and Manicheanism (and many more) are quite different in the details of their teachings, they are based on the same general principles. The basis of the majority of religion relies on the existence of good and evil in order to sustain the reasoning behind their beliefs. The tiger, which displays both characteristics, can be a confusing creature for the human mind to accept. On one hand, the â€Å"symmetry† (l.4) of the tiger is attractive, but on the other hand, its potential â€Å"deadly terror† (l.16) is appalling. There is an inherent difficulty in absorbing such a paradox, but the effect of experiencing both at the same time can be referred to as ‘sublime’. The Tyger is a perfect example of the sublime. Basler said that the tyger was a creature that â€Å"convey[ed] terror before a symbol of power to harm.† (12) Paley, in relation to this, states that â€Å"terror is in all cases whatsoever, either more openly or latently the ruling principle of the sublime.† (78) Blake does an excellent job of conveying terror in the Tyger. As readers form a mental image of the blacksmith who â€Å"dares† (l.24) to create the tyger, they might experience (in a diluted form) an idea ofShow MoreRelatedWilliam Blake s Songs Of Innocence And Experience1268 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, printed in 1794, â€Å"represents the world as it is envisioned by what he calls ‘two contrary states of the human soul’† (Greenblatt, 1452). This collection of poetry is accompanied by pictures, which create a mutually reliant relationship that allows for complete understanding of Blake’s works. â€Å"To read a Blake poem without the pictures is to miss something important: that relationship is an aspect of the poem’s argument† (1452). Overall, Blake’s worksRead MoreThe poem The Tyger by William Blake877 Words   |  3 PagesJames verse (1:5) of the bible portrays an underlying message that although we should follow in God’s path, we are not expected to follow blindly. Likewise, in the poem â€Å"The Tyger† by William Blake, it’s theme is a reflection of what this quote implies. Throughout this poem, Blake explores the possibility of questioning God while using the structure of the poem, as well as the irony of God’s character, and several sound devices in hopes of communicating a message, that to question God is only human natureRead More Coexistence of Contrary States in Blake’s The Tyger Essay1883 Words   |  8 PagesCoexistence of Contrary States in Blake’s The Tyger Since the two hundred years that William Blake has composed his seminal poem The Tyger, critics and readers alike have attempted to interpret its burning question - Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Perhaps best embodying the spirit of Blake’s Songs of Experience, the tiger is the poetic counterpart to the Lamb of Innocence from Blake’s previous work, Songs of Innocence. Manifest in The Tyger is the key to understanding its identity andRead MoreReading Between the Lines Essays914 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Blake’s poem â€Å"The Lamb† is a simplistic poem until you read deeper into it and find a powerful and uplifting religious message about creation. Blake is able to draw people into his poem by having a young innocent child as the speaker, asking rhetorical questions to a lamb. Although he also throws irony into the second stanza by having the young child answer his own questions, asked in the first stanza. The poem has a tone so sweet and soft that it is not offensive in any means and is notRead MoreEssay on The Message Behind A Poison Tree1077 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Blake was a first generation Romantic poet. He lived a long life in which he wrote a copious amount of poetry (Eaves). Blake was also a painter. This aided Blake’s advancing symbolism; he could paint a lovely picture with his words (Eaves). The poem that I have analyzed is A Poison Tree. Blake strategically placed imagery and personification to hide his underlying truth; do not store up anger because horrible situations will arise. At first glance the poem seems hate filled and that he justRead MoreInnocence Of The Lamb By William Blake1705 Words   |  7 PagesInnocence of the Lamb â€Å"The Lamb† is one of William Blake’s famous poems from his book Songs of Innocence published in 1789. â€Å"The Lamb† is also known as â€Å"Little Lamb† but better known by the former name. This poem is a didactic poem reflecting spirituality from a Christian point of view. â€Å"The Lamb† is a question and an answer type of poem and has a sense of innocence as the speaker is a child questioning a lamb’s existence. In â€Å"The Lamb† William Blake uses metaphor, symbolism and imagery to expressRead MoreAnalysis Of Alasdair Gray s Songs Of Innocence And Of Experience1583 Words   |  7 Pagesillustrated novels of the nineteenth century, gained new prominence in Alasdair Gray’s self-illustrated novel Lanark (1981) and in comic books or ‘graphic novels’ by writers such as Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. With regards to English Romantic poet William Blake, both his lyrical Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1789-94) and his prophetic poems of epic length were conceived as an intermedial work made up of text and illustration. Blake’s collection of poems; Songs of Innocence and of Experience Showing