Posted on 06/15/2003 10:36:08 AM PDT by Alamo-Girl
Yes and no. Languages don't map to our mental phase space 1:1, so the mapping of language to that phase space is incomplete. Different languages manage the lossy mapping differently, so in practice some languages are much better at mapping the phase space of our minds than others. One of the subtle powers of the English language is that it has an unusually large and complex "map" as languages go, which makes it more expressive than most other languages and also harder to learn.
Because we learn in no small part through communication, expressivity and broad mapping in language is becoming a very important factor in the language adapting to rapidly changing technologies. The rapid reduction in the number of languages for scientific and technical publications over the last 20 years is in large part because the expressive capability of some of the published languages have not been able to keep pace with the requirements of rapidly advancing technological fields, making it extremely difficult to continue to write coherent publications in those languages.
English has been the de facto language of science and engineering for many years now, but it is becoming the ONLY language very quickly. What is interesting is that most of the publishing companies in that industry are NOT English speaking companies, but they nonetheless recognize the reality of the situation. Not only does a large segment of the market speak English natively, but most of the rest learned it as a second language as a requirement of the field because their native languages were inadequate and limited access to knowledge.
That said, there is no intrinsic reason that something expressible in one language cannot be added to the map of another. What languages are mapping to is largely the same.
The lovely thing is that we do have good metrics of true complexity. Every test ever done that I am aware of on the human brain gives strong evidence that it is a complex but nonetheless finite state mechanism. The structural and operational complexity is reasonably similar to many of the other more complex systems in the body. This is true even of the output of our minds as well, which show a very high level of finite state regularity in all aspects. The Kolmogorov complexity of the brain IS very high, arguably substantially more so than our current computers, but is otherwise achievable without invoking magic.
Heck, it is this which tantalizes the people who work on these things. We can definitely measure and see that we could construct such a thing in theory, making it a grand puzzle to unravel. Scientists don't waste their time on problems we know we can't solve; there is no value or glory in it. Powered flight attracted human scientists for centuries for the same reason before it was finally solved.
This doesn't discount anyone's experience, just puts some perspective on it.
Very interesting observation, unspun!!!! Walker has suggested this, in his The Physics of Consciousness.
Then good, one wouldn't want to make deals with devils. Hope to look into Kolmogrov complexity, tort. Probabilities was the 'higher math' subject that I actually enjoyed. Point is of course that this as we know it is not, by observations and testimonies of them, likely to be the only complexity out there.
Scientists don't waste their time on problems we know we can't solve; there is no value or glory in it. Powered flight attracted human scientists for centuries for the same reason before it was finally solved.
Salutes to them, in this 100th year of powered flight (well, also the 101st year, depending on how you look at it). Without wasting time though, I wholeheartedly suggest that every scientist invests time regarding problems they cannot solve on their own. Mostly outside their comp. time, I suppose.
Always leave room for what one may know one doesn't know (in our incompetence, unconsciously or consciously manifest).
BTW, is not an attempt at a 'forced' study (double-blind or otherwise) of 'extra'-psychic phenomena similar in effect to the intrusive effects one finds by the scientist's blunt force applied to our study of physical quanta? (Corrupting influence by the very presence of test and measurement.)
And who was it that said that that particle testing is like shooting two finely made clocks or watches at each other and studying their identifying functions by the pieces which fly apart?
Indeed, I was already aware of the neurophysiological explanation of near death experiences but hadn't heard the one about the G-force. All of it is interesting, and physical cause is a necessary tenet to the metaphysical naturalist worldview. Many of these neurophysiological theories invoke the recall of existent memories.
IMHO, the "fly in the ointment" is that NDEs are experienced by children who have no such memories, and that some of the NDEs feature accurate out of body accounts, i.e. from perspectives other than the location of the body at death.
And a video of an interview with a 12 year about her death experience.
If taken to an extreme though, what ‘could’ these types of tests (sequencing-based testing) have told the parents of a Hawkins or Beethoven?
For the near term at least, nothing. Although sperm banks are making sperm from accomplished individuals available, it doesn't seem to have resulted in a rash of geniuses. However, testing of the unborn has already started. Samples of the amnio fluid have been used to screen for certain genetic diseases, and when found, the parents are aborting.
While mutations in HIV are destructive to us, they seem to be OK for the virus (otherwise there'd be a vaccine by now).
Indeed, the people who work on strong Artificial Intelligence expect to achieve their goal. There would be little reason to continue if they thought it couldn’t be done.
Others, like Penrose, say there is a point at which it can go no further. I doubt if I’ll be "in the flesh" when the issue is finally resolved.
But either way, any such strong A.I. device does not obsolete the human ensemble of anatomy, physiology and consciousness – and most importantly, the soul. Nevertheless, having such a self-maintaining and replicating intelligent device would be extremely important for space exploration, intelligence, defense, research, etc.
There will be tests for ALS and genetically caused deafness at some point in the future, but they don't exist yet.
Agreed. Many episodes of "The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Star Trek," etc. come to mind, of course. Also, "Blade Runner" (the director's cut, of course) Alien, yada yada yada....
BTW, ever see "Screamers?" It's a dark horse favorite of mine, bringing a kind of evolution to bear with AI.
Can I get a "Screamers" bump, anyone? How about a weekend video?
I have watched your posts since 1998 and would never doubt your sanity or integrity. (almost never, since I have recently seen what illness can do temporarily to the mind).
But I have also seen something that wasn't there, just as clearly and solidly as anything I have ever seen. I was also in a position to understand why I "wanted" to see it, and have had since college, a theory of mind that accepts such phenomena as part of the normal working of the mind. I also have vivid dreams, which I often remember in detail for several minutes after I wake up. Some of these dreams have all the texture of reality. I have even made jokes and puns in dreams that I can remember when I wake up. (I have written a few down, but they don't look so wonderful later in the day). So I am never shocked at what sane people experience. I am sometimes skeptical of their interpretation of what they experience.
I'm afraid that to break through my skepticism, I would have to experience something with a bit more substance than a personal vision. I don't know what form that might take. Predicting the future? Interesting, but we all make predictions and some of them come true. My favorite example, which I am unable to locate via google, is the CD cover by the group Coop, showing the wtc towers burning exactly as they did, but printed a month or more before the event.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.