[tobiasSoftware]

As a believer in Weak AI the Chinese Room argument really gave me more understanding of my position. His argument is based on the concept that interpretation of symbols is not the same as the understanding that we do. As an example, say that a person learns 1 + 1 = 2. Because that person understands the concept, he can then go apply it to other situations, and figure out that 1 + 2 = 3. Whereas because the Chinese room is just interpreting symbols, so when the computer is asked the question "what is 1 + 1?" and can answer "2" via lookup table, but the person inside the room has gained no understanding of the actual question so he can't then use that knowledge in different circumstances and know without looking up that 1 + 2 = 3.

The Chinese Room argument is that because computers can't "learn", everything has to be taught to them directly, whereas humans are able to take knowledge given and apply it to other situations. While some computers can "learn" enough rules to follow patterns, the argument is that computers can't "jump the track" and that humans can.

[chubot]

Yeah I see that, but the problem is that we don't know how humans are conscious, i.e. where meaning rises. If you believe that brains are just atoms, then meaning arises from "dumb physics" somewhere.

Another way to think of it is: a fetus, or a sperm, or ova is not conscious. Some might argue that a newborn isn't really conscious. Somewhere along the line it becomes conscious. How does that happen? Where is the line? We have no idea.

You can't assert that meaning can't arise from "dumb symbol manipulation" without understanding how meaning arises in the former case. We simply don't know enough to make any sort of judgement. The Chinese room argument is trying to make something out of nothing. We don't know.