4. On artificial intelligence (AI): is there a ghost in the machine?
February 1, 1993 DOI: 10.1192/pb.17.2.100 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | The text presents the dualist position, attributed to Descartes, that the mind is immaterial and distinct from the mechanical body, so that computers may solve problems but cannot possess understanding, consciousness, or free will. It frames this as an argument held by many who are unwilling to consider that computers might think or become sentient. |
Abstract
Many people are unwilling to consider that com puters may, at some time, be able to think, and even, become sentient. The human mind, they would argue, is essentially these qualities: it is what gives us consciousness, separates us from animals (presum ably), other beings, and inanimate objects, allows us to exercise freewill and judgement, and is at the heart of, perhaps, our most treasured attributes insight, inspiration, intuition, and creativity. It is separate from the mechanical processes of our bodies which can be simulated by machines. No matter how efficient a computer becomes at solving problems, it will always be no more than a machine because it has no understanding of what it is doing. This mind body dualism promulgated by Descartes (15961650) suggests there is a distinction between the mechanical process of problem solving a physical event which is "extended" and understanding which is a property of the "unextended" mind. He