4 or IV ?

4 is a historically belated mathematical solution.

And it  - both 4 and IV - is actually false.

In the real world, there are no "4's".  To use maths properly, you should know 
that 4 is an ABSTRACTION from the real world - and hold both the abstraction 
and the reality in your mind at the same time.

There is no essential solution to any problem. 

But I am in a sense grateful to both you and Steve, because you are 
demonstrating the extraordinary power and grip on the imagination of the myth 
of rationality and single "right" or "correct" answers. You clearly both 
passionately WANT there to be one solution - and it is a pyschologically 
natural urge.

Has it not occurred to you that an agent who can come up with potentially 
infinite answers to a problem is somewhat more useful and intelligent than an 
agent who can come up with only one? 

If you can't grok that, (Steve), you really shouldn't be doing AGI.


From: Mike Archbold 
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 2:21 AM
To: AGI 
Subject: Re: [agi] Real World/ Creative Reasoning - what no one gets about AGI





On Sun, Jul 15, 2012 at 9:09 AM, Mike Tintner <[email protected]> wrote:

  Steve,

  There are infinite solutions to 2+2 = 

  4, FOUR, QUATRE, 1111, 6-2, 7-1,  ....  ,  llll  [lines],    4.2345 real 
apples ..  IV, (and so on in other numeral systems), and so on ad infinitum.

  (And the above is not playing around or superficial - there are plenty of 
existing real problems where it is necessary to find an alternative to 4)

  There are infinite solutions to every problem.




This seems like the basic essential / accidental philosophical issue.  The 
solution given to the problem "what is 2 + 2?" is always essentially going to 
be 4, but is only accidentally given as "four, quatre, 1111, 6-2...." or what 
have you.
I believe that Hegel wrote that reality displays "nothing but accidents."  That 
doesn't rule out 
a single essential solution.    


 Mike Archbold
      AGI | Archives  | Modify Your Subscription   



-------------------------------------------
AGI
Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now
RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-c97d2393
Modify Your Subscription: 
https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-2484a968
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com

Reply via email to