Stathis Papaioannou wrote: > Peter Jones writes: > > > There is a very impoertant difference between "computations do > > not require a physical basis" and "computations do not > > require any *particular* physical basis" (ie computations can be > > physical > > implemented by a wide variety of systems) > > Yes, but any physical system can be seen as implementing any computation with > the appropriate > rule mapping physical states to computational states.
I don't think such mappings are valid a) without constraints on the simplicity of the mapping rules or b) without attention to counterfactuals/dispositions > Attempts are made to put constraints on what > counts as implementation of a computation in order to avoid this > uncomfortable idea, but it > doesn't work unless you say that certain implementations are specially > blessed by God or something. I don't know where you get that idea. Dispositions are physically respectable. Simplicity constraints are the lifeblood of science. > So at least you have to say that every computation is implemented if any > physical universe at all > exists, even if it is comprised of a single atom which endures for a > femtosecond. Hmmm. So much for the quantitative issue. What a strange view of physics you have. > That's an absurd > amount of responsibility for a little atom, and it makes more sense to me > (although I can't at the > moment think of a proof) to say that the atom is irrelevant, Any finite quantitiy is infinitely greater than zero. I *can* think of a disproof! > and the computations are implemented > anyway by virtue of their status as mathematical objects. Assuming Platonism has been proved, whcih it hasn't. (NBB "implemented" means a lot more than "theoretically true" !!!) > Stathis Papaioannou > _________________________________________________________________ > Be one of the first to try Windows Live Mail. > http://ideas.live.com/programpage.aspx?versionId=5d21c51a-b161-4314-9b0e-4911fb2b2e6d --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
