X-Message-Number: 8000
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 21:43:41 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Yet More Really Interesting Hypothetical Propositions

Suppose a large computer with natural-language and AI capabilities is
programmed to believe that it has a self-circuit. How would we prove to
the computer that it is wrong? 

Another question: if human beings have self-circuits, how about apes? 
They have been proven to be capable of using (human-designed) language
that uses a symbol representing the self. 

If an ape has a self-circuit, how about my cat? I see him making decisions
all the time, usually to optimize his wellbeing, and often requiring some
planning and foresight (e.g. "If I jump on that chair, I will be able to
jump on that shelf, and I will knock that paper bag onto the floor, rip it
open, and discover whether I can eat the contents.")

If my cat could talk, would he claim to have a self-circuit?

If my cat does not have a self-circuit, is it conceivable that in the 
future his brain could be enhanced to give him one?

I hope these hypothetical questions can be a source of further discussion
here on CryoNet in the months to come, because obviously there is nothing
happening in cryonics that's worth talking about right now, and we all 
have a lot of time on our hands.

--CP

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