It seems like you have some valid points, but I cannot help but point out a problem with your question. It seems like any system for pattern recognition and/or prediction will have a sensible "I Don't Know" state. An algorithm in a published paper might suppress this in an attempt to give as reasonable an output as is possible in all situations, but it seems like in most such cases it would be easy to add. Therefore, where is the problem?
Yet, I follow your comments and to an extent agree... the feeling when I don't know something could possibly be related to animal fear (though I am not sure), and the second time I encounter the same thing is certainly different (because I remember the previous not-knowing, so I at least have that info for context this time). But I think the issue might nonetheless be non-fundamental, because algorithms typically can easily report their not knowing. --Abram On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 2:58 PM, Brad Paulsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > All, > > Here's a question for you: > > What does fomlepung mean? > > If your immediate (mental) response was "I don't know." it means you're not > a slang-slinging Norwegian. But, how did your brain produce that "feeling > of not knowing"? And, how did it produce that feeling so fast? > > Your brain may have been able to do a massively-parallel search of your > entire memory and come up "empty." But, if it does this, it's subconscious. > No one to whom I've presented the above question has reported a conscious > "feeling of searching" before having the conscious feeling of not knowing. > > It could be that your brain keeps a "list of things I don't know." I tend > to think this is the case, but it doesn't explain why your brain can react > so quickly with the feeling of not knowing when it doesn't know it doesn't > know (e.g., the very first time it encounters the word "fomlepung"). > > My intuition tells me the feeling of not knowing when presented with a > completely novel concept or event is a product of the "Danger, Will > Robinson!", reptilian part of our brain. When we don't know we don't know > something we react with a feeling of not knowing as a survival response. > Then, having survived, we put the thing not known at the head of our list > of "things I don't know." As long as that thing is in this list it explains > how we can come to the feeling of not knowing it so quickly. > > Of course, keeping a large list of "things I don't know" around is probably > not a good idea. I suspect such a list will naturally get smaller through > atrophy. You will probably never encounter the fomlepung question again, so > the fact that you don't know what it means will become less and less > important and eventually it will drop off the end of the list. And... > > Another intuition tells me that the list of "things I don't know", might > generate a certain amount of cognitive dissonance the resolution of which > can only be accomplished by seeking out new information (i.e., "learning")? > If so, does this mean that such a list in an AGI could be an important > element of that AGI's "desire" to learn? From a functional point of view, > this could be something as simple as a scheduled background task that checks > the "things I don't know" list occasionally and, under the right > circumstances, "pings" the AGI with a pang of cognitive dissonance from time > to time. > > So, what say ye? > > Cheers, > > Brad > > > ------------------------------------------- > agi > Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now > RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ > Modify Your Subscription: > https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; > Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com > ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=108809214-a0d121 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
