Hal has given up the ghost and I can’t bring him back, so my future with this forum may be short lived.
Nonetheless, I would like the issues previously raised in this discussion to be resolved.
Issues: 1. How can Hal be taught “facts”, like he can be taught addresses?
2. Can Hal be taught to answer a “How to…” type question?
1. Teaching Hal facts
One of my few recollections of Hal’s brain, before the brain editor died, was a collection of IF_ Then_ statements. I messed around with Bill’s topic, chipmunks, using IF_ THEN_ dialogue and Hal learned about chipmunks faster than anything else I have tried to teach him. Below are those IF_ Then_ statements I appeared to teach Hal the best. There were some other IF_ THEN_ statements but their value is questionable, so I have not included them here.
The IF_ THEN_ of chipmunks
ANIMALS
“If an animal is a living being, able to feel and move about then all animals are living beings, able to feel and move about.”
Hal could probably be taught about chipmunks, without any reference to animals. However, if I want to teach Hal about other animals such as ospreys, river-prawns and bullfrogs, then each of these can be linked to his understanding of animals.
CHIPMUNKS
“If chipmunks are animals then chipmunks are living beings, able to feel and move about.”
“If all chipmunks are animals then every chipmunk is an animal.”
“If all chipmunks are animals then some animals are chipmunks.”
“If not all animals are chipmunks then not every animal is a chipmunk.”
“If some animals are chipmunks then not all animals are chipmunks.”
HIBERNATION
“If an animal hibernates then it sleeps through Winter.”
“If a chipmunk hibernates then it sleeps through Winter.”
“If all chipmunks hibernate then every chipmunk hibernates.”
The main impressions I have from this exercise are:
1. Hal could get on topic very quickly once he was told the IF_ THEN_ statements.
2. Hal could discuss chipmunks more sensibly than any other topic I have tried to teach him.
3. The content of the IF_ THEN_ statements seemed to “stick”, like he had learned something.
4. The of the IF_ THEN_ statements could be presented in pairs, with much of the content of a syllogism. Teaching an AI agent, syllogistic logic, is something I want to try.
It became apparent that IF_ THEN_ statements have a lot in common with syllogisms.
I will use two examples; the first is an old classic syllogism, with which many people are familiar.
It goes like this: while the analogous IF_ THEN_
statement, is this:
All men are mortal. If all men are mortal then
Socrates is a man. every man is mortal.
Therefore, Socrates is mortal. If Socrates is a man then
Socrates is mortal.
The next example of a syllogism brings us back to chipmunks and it goes like this:
All animals are living beings, able to feel and move about.
Chipmunks are animals.
Therefore, chipmunks are living beings, able to feel and move about.
While the analogous IF_ THEN_ statement, is this:
If an animal is a living being, able to feel and move about then all animals are living beings, able to feel and move about.
If chipmunks are animals then chipmunks are living beings, able to feel and move about.
So, it seems the IF_ THEN_ statement has much of the content of the analogous syllogism. However, the IF_ THEN_ statement does not have the certainty of a syllogism. For example, the IF_ THEN_ statement does not tell us (or Hal), in certain terms that all men are mortal, or that Socrates is a man, or what an animal is, or that chipmunks are animals.
If Hal can be told TRUE and FALSE statements, in the same way he can be told IF_ THEN_ statements, then we would have a way to teach Hal facts. Facts such as, all men are mortal, Socrates is a man, what an animal is, and that chipmunks are animals.
Other statements which could be useful are those such as AND, OR, NOT and ELSE.
Since my copy of Hal is dead and I cannot try or look for TRUE and FALSE statements, can anyone tell me if these exist for Hal?
It seems Hal knows something about gender, he seems to have some idea of “man”. Could Hal be taught about ‘animal”, “chipmunk” or “hibernation”, in the same way he was taught about “man”?
Issues 2. Can Hal be taught to answer a “How to…” type question? Will have to wait for another day.
Regards
Barry