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␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ u1


␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ ¬␈↓βComments on Searle's "Minds, Brains and Programs"␈↓

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTJohn␈α∀Searle's␈α∪refutation␈α∀of␈α∪the␈α∀Berkeley␈α∪answer␈α∀that␈α∪the␈α∀system␈α∀understands␈α∪Chinese

␈↓ α∧␈↓proposes␈αthat␈αa␈αperson␈α(call␈αhim␈αMr.␈αHyde)␈αcarry␈αout␈αin␈αhis␈αhead␈αa␈αprocess␈α(call␈αit␈αDr.␈αJekyll)␈αfor

␈↓ α∧␈↓carrying␈α
out␈α
a␈α
written␈α
conversation␈α
in␈α∞Chinese.␈α
 Everyone␈α
will␈α
agree␈α
with␈α
Searle␈α
that␈α∞Mr.␈α
Hyde

␈↓ α∧␈↓does␈α
not␈α
understand␈αChinese,␈α
but␈α
I␈αwould␈α
contend,␈α
and␈α
I␈αsuppose␈α
his␈α
Berkeley␈αinterlocutors␈α
would

␈↓ α∧␈↓also,␈α∂that␈α⊂provided␈α∂certain␈α⊂other␈α∂conditions␈α∂for␈α⊂understanding␈α∂are␈α⊂met,␈α∂Dr.␈α⊂Jekyll␈α∂understands

␈↓ α∧␈↓Chinese.␈α∂ In␈α∞Stevenson's␈α∂story,␈α∞it␈α∂seems␈α∞assumed␈α∂that␈α∞Dr.␈α∂Jekyll␈α∞and␈α∂Mr.␈α∞ Hyde␈α∂time-share␈α∞the

␈↓ α∧␈↓body, while in Searle's case, one interprets a program specifying the other.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTSearle's␈α∀dismissal␈α∪of␈α∀the␈α∪idea␈α∀that␈α∪thermostats␈α∀may␈α∪be␈α∀ascribed␈α∪belief␈α∀is␈α∪based␈α∀on␈α∪a

␈↓ α∧␈↓misunderstanding.␈α∂ It␈α∂is␈α∂not␈α∂a␈α∂pantheistic␈α∂notion␈α∂that␈α∂all␈α∂machinery␈α∂including␈α⊂telephones,␈α∂light

␈↓ α∧␈↓switches␈α∂and␈α⊂calculators␈α∂believe.␈α⊂ Belief␈α∂may␈α⊂usefully␈α∂be␈α⊂ascribed␈α∂only␈α⊂to␈α∂systems␈α⊂about␈α∂which

␈↓ α∧␈↓someone's␈αknowledge␈αcan␈αbest␈αbe␈αexpressed␈α
by␈αascribing␈αbeliefs␈αthat␈αsatisfy␈αaxioms␈αsuch␈α
as␈αthose

␈↓ α∧␈↓in␈α
(McCarthy␈α∞1979).␈α
 Thermostats␈α
are␈α∞sometimes␈α
such␈α
systems.␈α∞ Telling␈α
a␈α
child,␈α∞␈↓↓"If␈α
you␈α∞hold␈α
the

␈↓ α∧␈↓↓candle␈αunder␈αthe␈αthermostat,␈αyou␈αwill␈αfool␈αit␈αinto␈αthinking␈αthe␈αroom␈αis␈αtoo␈αhot,␈αand␈αit␈αwill␈αturn␈αoff

␈↓ α∧␈↓↓the furnace"␈↓ makes proper use of the child's repertoire of intentional concepts.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTFormalizing␈αbelief␈αrequires␈αtreating␈α
simple␈αcases␈αas␈αwell␈α
as␈αmore␈αinteresting␈αones.␈α
 Ascribing

␈↓ α∧␈↓beliefs␈α∞to␈α∞thermostats␈α∞is␈α∞analogous␈α∞to␈α∞including␈α∞0␈α
and␈α∞1␈α∞in␈α∞the␈α∞number␈α∞system␈α∞even␈α∞though␈α
we

␈↓ α∧␈↓would␈α∞not␈α∞need␈α∞a␈α∞number␈α∂system␈α∞to␈α∞treat␈α∞the␈α∞null␈α∞set␈α∂or␈α∞sets␈α∞with␈α∞just␈α∞one␈α∞element;␈α∂indeed␈α∞we

␈↓ α∧␈↓wouldn't even need the concept of set.

␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ αTHowever,␈αa␈αprogram␈αthat␈αunderstands␈αshould␈α
not␈αbe␈αregarded␈αas␈αa␈αtheory␈αof␈α
understanding

␈↓ α∧␈↓any␈αmore␈α
than␈αa␈α
man␈αwho␈α
understands␈αis␈α
a␈αtheory.␈α A␈α
program␈αcan␈α
only␈αbe␈α
an␈αillustration␈α
of␈αa

␈↓ α∧␈↓theory,␈αand␈αa␈αuseful␈αtheory␈α
will␈αcontain␈αmuch␈αmore␈αthan␈α
an␈αassertion␈αthat␈α"the␈αfollowing␈α
program

␈↓ α∧␈↓understands␈α
about␈αrestaurants".␈α
 I␈α
can't␈αdecide␈α
whether␈α
this␈αlast␈α
complaint␈α
applies␈αto␈α
Searle␈αor␈α
just

␈↓ α∧␈↓to some of the AI researchers he criticizes.
␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓ u2


␈↓ α∧␈↓␈↓αMcCarthy,␈αJohn␈α(1979)␈↓:␈α
"Ascribing␈αMental␈αQualities␈αto␈α
Machines"␈αin␈α␈↓↓Philosophical␈αPerspectives␈α
in

␈↓ α∧␈↓↓Artificial Intelligence␈↓, Martin Ringle (ed.), Harvester Press.