True. ~PM.
From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: [agi] Logical vs Real World Reasoning Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2012 12:32:14 +0100 Let me expand on my post to PM. In logic if there is an effect, then there must be a specific cause or set of causes. In the real world, there are infinite causes and sets of causes for any effect – or, one might say loosely, infinite web[s] of causation. Why/how did you start the car? The logical mind may conclude: because you turned the car key. But every part of the car and the engine also contributed to the car starting. And your motives for starting the car contributed. And every part of your body and brain contributed to your action of turning the key, making it possible. And from there one can go backwards to - ultimately – every part of the universe, including inventors and designers of the car, the car market, the road and transport networks and much else. Turning the key was a “key factor” but only one. If you wanted to stop s.o. starting a car, there are a vast number of points at which you could interfere with the web, not just the key, and not just the brain of the key-turner. ANd you have to know this in order to be a real world reasoner. The real world reasoner has a concept implicit or explicit of the “world-wide-web of causation”. The logical reasoner has only an implicit concept of a very narrow logical network of causation in a vacuum an infinitesimal slice at best of the world-wide-web. The real world reasoner focuses on the LOCUS/LOCI of cause and effect in the real world. Logical reasoners reason in an abstract realm. IT WAS PRECISELY TO PUT AN END TO LOGICAL REASONING ABOUT THE WORLD THAT SCIENCE BEGAN. Logical reasoning – playing around with words and definitions to a great extent – is the resort of the simple-minded reasoner who does not want to get dirty and look at and investigate the complications of the real world. As Deutsch points out in his article, induction (and with it the whole of logic, one can add) simply doesn’t work for AGI – neither does Bayesian reasoning. Logical reasoning is intellectually mad – completely divorced from the real world, and the messy web of causation. What is needed is a totally different form of reasoning – neither induction, deduction or abduction. To recognize it, we have to put aside two thousand years of logical conditioning which has totally corrupted our metacognitive ideas of reasoning. That reasoning (and the corruption of logic) is exemplified by Sherlock Holmes. When he says: “I deduce, Watson...” he is actually doing no such thing. He is doing the most important form of reasoning there is... the foundation of all real world reasoning. Which is...? More another time. 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
