PPE and Philosophy
Does the machine understand?
A computer program answers every question about a story exactly as a person would. Does it understand the story?
- Hint 1What would count as evidence that a person understands?
- Hint 2Imagine someone following a rule book to answer in a language they do not speak. Do they understand it?
- Behaviourist view: understanding just is the ability to answer and use information appropriately, so yes.
- Searle's Chinese Room: someone could follow rules to produce perfect answers without understanding, so behaviour is not enough.
- Reply: the whole system, person plus rule book, might understand even if the person does not.
- Ask what extra ingredient understanding needs, and how we know other people have it.
Where it lands: Open: the strong answer identifies what 'understanding' adds beyond behaviour and how anyone could tell.
The trap: Settling it by saying 'it is just a machine', which assumes the answer.
What a tutor might ask next: If you could never tell the difference, would it matter?
Now do one out loud. In the interview you think aloud with a tutor. Try a PPE problem with hints, follow-ups and Mia's feedback on how you think.