Re: What Is a Machine?

From: HARNAD Stevan (harnad@cogsci.soton.ac.uk)
Date: Tue Feb 27 1996 - 16:25:10 GMT


> From: "Lee, Liz" <EAL195@psy.soton.ac.uk>
> Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 09:06:16 GMT
>
> jd> can machines be described by saying that A Machine Is Any Known Object
> jd> That Has A Specific Use And/Or Objective?
>
> Isn't this splitting the mind and body again? There are many "uses" the
> human machine can be put to, this doesn't really tell us what the mind
> does or is for does it? If, to use Stevan's example , you think of a
> slave working for his master, this is just one machine directing the
> physical labour of another; it doesn't make the real question any
> clearer. There is no" specific use or objective" for the human machine,
> after all, not everyone reproduces so that can't be it. Beats me what a
> machine is! Liz

Then you should be prepared to confess that if you were to say "people
are not machines" you would not be affirming or denying anything at
all!



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