I want to create an android

Jan 24, 2006 45 Replies

Definition has to be "specific" as to include only objects intended. But you _intent_ remains subjective.

Definition that includes more objects than intended is not "unobjective" it is just unsuccesful.

There are more other criteria which makes a definition useful in scientific threatise, and which cause a particular diffinition to become common. The final test for effectiveness of particular definition is its wide propagation and common usage in discussions. In retrospect it is possible to analyse why some definitions become common and other did not, and come up with list of criteria for success. But the final test of usefulness is also subjective, and our list criteria will only give guide-lines but no guaranties of success. In some cases success of particular definition is just a matter of "first inventor" of certain relationsheep giving it a definition, even though later when relationsheep is better understood a more specific definition could have been given. In other cases it is just luck or higher persuasiveness of particular scientist that his definition becomes more common than other competing one.

It would be interesting nevertheless to come up with such a list of success criteria for definitions.

I would rather say "lack of specificity" where demonstrability is a subset, that applies to definitions dealing with concepts.

Regards, Evgenij

So? Definitions are either objective or inherently problematic.

But successful definitions in the sense of being true have to be objective.

I'm talking about true definitions.

Hey, people come up with all kinds of more or less successful and unsuccessful definitions all the time. Doesn't mean they're true or even exhaustive.

Well I'm mainly concerned with whether definitions are exhaustive. If so they can certainly be true. But if not they can only be successful or more or less useful in problematic terms.

~v~~

I don't suggest it can't. But humans decide everything subjective or objective. That alone doesn't make definitions one or the other.

Well there's some wiggle room here. Consciousness is mechanized subjectively; that's true. But it's products are objective. That's how and why we can use its products interpersonally to begin with.

Intelligence is a display

Which is just a synonym regression.

I've argued this at length with feedbackdroids and unsuccessfully. I don't see animals as providing evidence of their own consciousness.

~v~~

Just had to inject my two cents in here... If he donated his brain, it would no longer be an android. It would become a cyborg.

An android is a humanoid robot. (entirely artificial, non-biological) A cyborg is a biological/mechanical hybrid, not necessarily humanoid.

Let's keep our terminology straight here!

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