Humans differ from machines in that they are able to make observations about their own behavior
One of the differences between people and machines is that it is possible to program a machine to do a routine task in such a way that the machine will never notice even the most obvious facts about what it is doing; but it is inherent in human consciousness to notice some facts about the things one is doing. If you punch “1” into an adding machine, and then add 1 to it, and then add 1 again, and again, and again, and continue doing so for hours and hours, the machine will never learn to anticipate you, and do it itself, although any person would pick up the repetative behavior quickly. Or, to take a silly example, a car will never pick up on the idea, no matter how much or how well it is driven, that it is supposed to avoid other cars and obstacles on the road; and it will never learn even the most frequently traveled routes if it’s owner.
The difference, then, is that it is possible for a machine to act unobservant; it is impossible for a human to act unobservant. Probably for this reason, the property of being unobservant seems to be the characteristic feature of machines, to most people. For example, if somebody says that some task is “mechanical,” it does not mean that people are incapable of doing the task; it implies though, that only a machine could do it over and over without ever complaining, or feeling bored.
References
- Hofstader, Douglas. (1979). Godel Escher Bach Chapter 1 The MU Puzzle (p. 35). New York, NY: Basic Books.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Psychology / Philosophy Status:☀️