A natural implementation of symbolic logic?

At some level everything gets discrete looking. But we don't reason in Planck units. So what are the implications of natural symbolic logic systems?

If symbols systems are discrete, how would human evolution have produced a useful symbol system?




The Physical Symbol System hypothesis is that human intelligence implements a natural form of a symbolic logic.

But if symbols systems are discrete, how would human evolution have produced a useful symbol system?

rubbish chat bots and beyond...


Much of the need for grounding in stronger AI is blindingly obvious from the comically weak AI on display in the Loebner competition transcripts. In some senses the value of their efforts is as a warning to others about statistical and pattern matching methods.

bot : It's all wonderful, How are they treating you?
judge : horribly
bot : Many countries still treat women horribly.
judge : like what countries                            
bot : Congress is not likely to represent other countries
(Loebner 2010)

Misreading the Turing Test, or stumbling around in Blind Alleys

In the course material for my undergrad Artificial intelligence course there is an extract from a paper by Dr Blay Whitby about Turing's purpose for the Imitation Game paper;

A Turing performant type


The Turing Test is a bit like a driving test, it represents a demonstration of performance capacity of a particular set of behaviours under a certain set of circumstances.

A plausible weak AI to beat the Turing Test?

Is it theoretically possible that a weak AI can beat the Standard Turing Test?

Who cares. This is not philosophy, this is engineering. Let's plough on.


How do you eat an elephant?

Everyone who has read a self help book knows it's "One bite at a time".

But it also helps if you pick a really small elephant.


Lets say we make this Turing Test a little bit more interesting.




The Turing Test is a bit like a driving test, it represents a demonstration of performance capacity of a particular set of behaviours under a certain set of circumstances.

Just because the 17 year old version of you was presented with a license to drive, doesn't mean that you didn't crash your parents car into a lamppost 2 weeks later.