That is to say, my interest lies not in the answers to these
questions, but in their existence. (01)
Mike (02)
On 11/02/2012 17:57, John F. Sowa wrote:
> Mike and Doug,
>
> This is another discussion with broad implications. I'm moving it
> to Ontolog Forum.
>
> MB
>>> That raises some deep philosophical questions for emergent,
>>> natural systems. Do these have a "Purpose"? If you believe in a
>>> Creator as described in most Feudal-era belief systems, that
>>> Creator created natural things with a purpose, but if you don't,
>>> you don't. Clearly there are people on both sides of that divide.
> DF
>> If we distinguish "Purpose" from "Function", then the question of
>> "Purpose" need not be asked. I distinguish "Purpose" with an intent,
>> while restricting "Function" to capabilities.
> To analyze this distinction, it helps to analyze the early and later
> stages from two points of view: looking forward from the past and
> looking backward from the present.
>
> From an analysis of their bones and DNA, biologists believe that
> whales, pigs, and hippopotamus are related. But there are fine
> points that have to be resolved. See, for example,
>
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090318153803.htm
> Is The Hippopotamus The Closest Living Relative To The Whale?
>
> Suppose you were an ancient hippo family that was trying to decide
> which way to evolve: spend more time in the river, which requires
> frequent forays onto the land, or move out to sea, which requires
> methods of swimming and breathing better adapted to water.
>
> Some kids in the family might be more adventurous. They would
> venture out into the open water. They would choose a blowhole on
> top of the head and flippers instead of legs. That is the view
> looking forward from the past, which seems to require purpose.
>
> But other kids would prefer to stay in the family river, and they
> would choose dual-purpose legs that could be used in or out of the
> water. For protection from crocodiles in the water and lions on
> the land, they would also choose to grow bigger so that they could
> overpower anything that might want to eat them.
>
> From the view backwards from the present, a biologist would realize
> that changes in the anatomy require many generations and long periods
> of time. They cannot be caused by a conscious decision of a single
> animal. But they can be caused by small decisions of many generations
> of individuals to seek food close to shore or venture out into open
> water. The individual choices are rewarded or punished by being fed
> or by dying of starvation or being eaten.
>
> MB
>> Given that Cyc has the capability of asserting functions with
>> or without intent, how does one ensure that modelers of new
>> material do not bring their inbuilt (and perhaps unquestioned /
>> unstated) philosophical issues along for the ride?
> Look at evolution: choices can be guided by an engineer (i.e.,
> an "intelligent designer" such as a human or a god) who makes
> the selection of which individuals to consign to the scrap heap
> and which ones to save and reproduce. As we know from domesticated
> animals, purposeful selection can speed up evolution by many orders
> of magnitude.
>
> But the best way to decide which ones to save is to test them
> in the environment (i.e., nature or the marketplace). Most
> engineers are not omniscient, and they can't anticipate every
> kind of design failure. So they need to send their babies
> out into the cruel world to see which ones can survive.
>
> Summary: Purpose guides individuals to make decisions, the
> environment (nature or the marketplace) rewards or punishes
> the choices, and the result of evolution is a function that is
> successfully adapted to the environment (natural or artificial).
>
> John
>
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> (03)
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