Computers embody programs; they don't obey them

Searle misinterprets what a program does. Computers don't obey programs the way the man in the room obeys a rule book. Computers embody programs. Similarly, a falling rock doesn't obey the law of gravity but embodies it.

David Cole, 1984.


RELATED ARTICLESExplain
Artificial Intelligence
Can computers think? [1]
Yes: physical symbol systems can think [3]
The Chinese Room Argument [4]
Man in Chinese Room doesn't instantiate a progam
Computers embody programs; they don't obey them
Implementations of programs must perform reliably
Computers and humans run programs differently
Proper instantiations require the right causal connections
Simulation requires duplication of functional interconnections
The proper algorithm is constitutive of thought
A properly designed Chinese room is Turing complete
Graph of this discussion
Enter the title of your article


Enter a short (max 500 characters) summation of your article
Enter the main body of your article
Lock
+Comments (0)
+Citations (0)
+About
Enter comment

Select article text to quote
welcome text

First name   Last name 

Email

Skip