Re: Today's discussion

Hi Stephen,

OK, I'll risk yet another level of embedding... please see
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my computer thinks that you are using Apple Mail. It can take care of =he embedding automatically, by adding another layer of embeddementation =or each response iteration. Usually, you can simply write your answer =ithout any embedding, so newer parts of the conversation can be =ecognized by having fewer indentations.

... could also be applied to a lot of other, much dumber or =on-social animals.

--]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Yes, and they have less of it (but nevertheless =ts the same "it")

I agree, and yet only a subset of animals can use symbols for =ommunication.

communication and intelligence are not the same thing (think about bees =tc)

Of these, only a small subset can make use of negation, conjunctions =nd disjunctions in symbolic communication (for instance, Irene =epperberg's famous grey parrots). It appears that only humans can learn =ich grammatical language, and I suspect that this is the primary =nabler of our superior problem solving capabilities.

I disagree. Einstein claimed that his greatest discoveries came from =ental imagery, and he later converted those thoughts to verbal =xpressions only with great difficulty. I think Al has vastly =nderestimated the role of "mental simulation/emulation" in thinking and =easoning.

Hi J..

I do indeed use the Mail app on a Mac. So.. I'll just write, and see if =t does the job!

Thanks,

S.

Stephen M. Kosslyn
Director, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences Stanford University
75 Alta Road
Stanford, CA 94305
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