> > 1. Self-Modifying Programs: I assume your idea is to use self- > > -modification as a form of learning. The search space is thus the > > algorithmic space. I have explained briefly in my web page that > > algorithmic search is highly intractable, which we seemed to have > > consensus already. If you think about it, program self-modification > > is a form of evolutionary programming, and EP is not very efficient > > even when people are doing it consciously. Do you have particular > > reasons to believe you have found an efficient algorithmic search > > algorithm? If not, maybe the idea of self-modifying programs is > > a dead end. > > Yes, I believe we have found > > * a relatively small subspace of the space of all "algorithms", which > displays a very wide variety of useful behaviors (we call this subspace > "zig-zag trees", they're a special kind of "combinator tree") > > * an efficient algorithm for searching this subspace (an improvement of > Pelikan and Goldberg's Bayesian Optimization Algorithm, enhanced > to make use > of long-term memory via invocation of probabilistic term logic)
I also note: We do not intend to write a program that modifies itself all in one go... Rather, the idea is to write a program that rewrites little pieces of itself that carry out particular cognitive functions... Over the long term, the beast may then end up rewriting all its cognitive algorithms, bit by bit... But there is a part of the code we insist to remain inviolate through self-modifications, representing the "operating system" layer of the mind, and the basic knowledge representation (which has to do with low-level perception/action, conditional probabilities, and function application, basically) -- Ben G --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.733 / Virus Database: 487 - Release Date: 8/2/2004 ------- To unsubscribe, change your address, or temporarily deactivate your subscription, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
