Question: are artificial persons (or A.I.) possible in the future? Could machines think?
Answer this question(s) and be sure to:
[1] Describe the Turing test. Describe in detail how it works and what its goal is. What counts as a pass and what does pass mean? If a woman passes the test what does Turing think that proves?
[2] Describe Functionalism and why it makes possible future artificial intelligence (see Putnam’s interview on website)
[3] Describe and explain Searle’s “Chinese room” counterexample to functionalism and the argument it illustrates: do not forget to explain the distinction between syntax and semantics.
[4] Describe and explain at least one (more is better) reply to Searle. Make a conclusion; could machines think and have minds?
