Chris:
>For that matter, *Bertvan* needs to do a lot more than whatever she does
>before she makes these claims, but my effort is more aimed at warning the
>too-casual away from intellectual sink-holes because I don't think (at this
>point) there's much that anyone can say that would enable Bertvan herself
>to see the vaporousness of her claims and the mental processes that support
>them; these claims and mental processes are too much *her* in her mind, and
>she doesn't seem to care enough to really bother.
>People who believe that Darwinism is "implausible" should test their
>understanding by writing a computer program to simulate it, in Basic or
>FORTRAN or JavaScript (etc.). Then, they should publish their programs for
>criticism. Implementing a theory in a computer program is one of the surest
>ways of *precisely* formulating *some* theory. It is also one of the
>*clearest* ways, because, in general, computer code is not subject to the
>shifting-sands effect of verbal and even written communication. Bertvan and
>Jones could perhaps co-develop such a computer program.
>Just thinking about Bertvan trying to write a meaningful computer program
>may keep me amused for a long time.
Bertvan:
There is no explaining humor, but I chuckle over the thought of someone
attempting to understand life by sitting around studying a computer or a
computer program. Computers or computer programs will never exhibit those
characteristics that distinguish life from non-life. A computer does what it
is programmed to do. Let me know when your computer starts setting its own
goals and pursuing its own purposes.
Let me know when your computer thinks up a new concept, not just some random
novel, meaningless pattern without purpose.
Let me know when your computer appears willing to sacrifice itself for the
welfare other computers.
Let me know when your computer exhibits curiosity or willingness to endanger
itself to increase its own knowledge. In fact, let me know when your
computer exhibits an independent desire to do anything.
A computer can be programmed to repel a computer virus known to the
programmer. Let me know when your computer thinks up its own program to
repel a virus unknown to the programmer.
Bertvan
http://members.aol.com/bertvan
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