As I sit before my computer and begin to write this response I
still wonder if it is possible for machines to think. Currently, I
don�t believe they can, but they are getting faster and smarter. It
reminds me of when I was a small child and the only personal
computers were the types plugged into home televisions. There is
no doubt that computers are becoming much more advanced and
multi-talented. Maybe some day in the future they will become
capable of thought. This seems to be a very controversial topic,
and I can see why. Nobody wishes to be outsmarted by a creation
of their own. Also, if a machine one day thinks and contemplates
like a human, does it answer the mind vs. body argument for us? It
would lead many more to hold the view that the mind is only a
by-product of the body.
Obviously a machine does not have a soul. So if eventually a
computer is developed to understand common sense as a normal
person would, this might make people wonder if humans really do
have souls. For many this would be a terrifying concept, which
seems to be the reason that most object to the concept of a
computer thinking. It may even increase the number of atheists in
our society. Maybe some cling to this viewpoint because it�s safer
to hold artificial intelligence will never come to be.
When speaking to my friends on the subject, they all held the
view that computers could not think, and were just processing
information with the programs which were designed and given to
them by humans. One friend even stated that it was the
programmer�s thought, not the computer�s. This to me, seems to
overlook something. Aren�t we as humans programmed to a
certain extent? Couldn�t thinking be defined as processing
information? There seems to me to be some parallels between
humans and machines. Nobody is born with a working knowledge
and thought processes, just as a computer doesn�t have automatic
abilities as soon as it is off the production line. Both humans and
computers are given information and process it. To me it seems
that computers are just a bit behind humans.
However, I see no reason to be alarmed by this. It reminds
me of the fictional android, Data, on Star Trek. If we are able to
get our machines to that level of decision making and rationale, it
does not necessarily mean a machine will ever be able to
understand and feel emotion. For instance, Data always seems to
misunderstand human emotions. He realizes they are existent, but
never experiences them. Of course, the writers of the Star Trek
series seemed to discredit their original intentions when giving
Data the �emotion chip� which made him experience those feelings
for the first time ever. I cannot imagine any programmer building
a program that would teach a machine fully comprehend emotion.
If a machine cannot come to an understanding of emotions,
then it seems that the mind vs. body argument is still very much
alive. This may even lead people to believe in the existence of the
soul. If a machine can some day make decisions and think
complex thoughts from its programmed common sense, but still not
experience emotion, then it may be an indication that we as
humans have something �extra� which machines don�t have. This
may very well be the soul.
I realize this argument I have given is one of postponement,
but I do not believe that either side has enough evidence to
completely justify whether or not a computer will some day be
capable of thought. All I can use for support to my claim of
�maybe� is that computers have come a long way so far, and are
still gaining on us. It does not appear that they will slow down any
time soon. It seems realistic to think they will eventually catch up.
This argument is a very interesting one, and I wish a computer
could tell me what it thought about it, but for now my Packard Bell
PC is not responding.
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