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The New Physico-Mechanical Human Challenge

First let us postulate that computer scientists succeed in developing intelligent machines that can do all things better than human beings can do them. In that case presumably all work will be done by vast, highly organized systems of machines and no human effort will be necessary. Either of two cases might occur. The machines might be permitted to make all of their own decisions without human oversight, or else human control over the machines might be retained.

If the machines are permitted to make all their own decisions, we can’t make any conjectures as to the results, because it is impossible to guess how such machines might behave.… Read More...

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The Structure of Scientific Inference

It is widely believed that the methods of science somehow “prove” scientific facts. You hear reference to “scientific proof” in the news media, and even scientists will use the word “proof” informally to describe a very strong set of evidence.

Some theories, such as the theory of gravity,
F = M * m * G / x^2

(Force equals mass of the object, times the mass of the second object, times the gravitational constant, divided by the square of the distance)

are so reliable that we say that this theory “explains” the fact, as if this theory were an inherent property of nature, and not just our assumptions about it.… Read More...

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