Re: virus: MS Weapon

Sodom (sodom@ma.ultranet.com)
Fri, 10 Oct 1997 17:50:31 -0400


Richard Brodie wrote:

> On Friday, October 10, 1997 3:44 AM, Robin Faichney
> [SMTP:r.j.faichney@stir.ac.uk] wrote:
> > > > A pattern-matching algorithm,
> > > > set up to compare scanned-in photos of the cloud and of a
> > > > sheep in the appropriate position WRIT viewpoint, with the
> > > > M set, will find and match these patterns, because all are
> > > > really there.
> > >
> > > No, your program will find and match those patterns because you
> have
> > > programmed it to do so.
> > >
> > So it would match *any* pattern it was programmed to find?
> > I don't think so. Even if it will only recognize one pattern,
> > and doesn't always find that, nevertheless if it does find it
> > sometimes -- I mean, strictly, if there is any statistical
> > significance to the results -- then how do we account for
> > that, if there are no patterns "out there"?
>
> You've lost me. I think the answer you're looking for is that neither
> we
> nor AI programs "find" patterns; rather, we "invent" or "create"
> patterns
> (i.e., labels). The interaction of our hardware and reality causes
> people
> to create similar patterns for similar reality.
>
> >
> > More generally, as someone else put it: what does science
> > do, if not find consistencies in patterns out there?
> >
>
> Science creates predictive theories.
>
> Richard Brodie RBrodie@brodietech.com
> http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie
> Author, VIRUS OF THE MIND: The New Science of the Meme
> http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/votm.htm
> Visit Meme Central: http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/meme.htm

YES, what he said!

Sodom