From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Sun Dec 17 2000 - 20:56:41 MST
Dan Fabulich wrote:
>
> Steve Nichols wrote:
>
> > Exactly ..... whereas evolvable circuitry machines (silicon or biological)
> > can be or approach infinite-state. The mammalian brain is infinite-state
> > in a way that a simple thermostat, or even a massive Turing machine,
> > cannot.
>
> I had not heard the news that brains were infinite-state. Last I
> heard, atoms were all finite-state, so a finite clump of atoms must
> necessarily be finite-state.
>
> The brain has very very many possible states, but it is no more
> infinite state than a hundred billion thermostats would be
> infinite-state, if you wired them all together in an interesting way.
>
>
That depends on what you mean by "state". A general purpose computer
has a finite number of possible states if looked at at the bit or
physical component level. But because it is reprogrammable (and even
self-programmable) its "states" in terms of possible contents
(semantics) are infinite. Much like all the possible essays are
infinite even when expressed with a finite vocabulary.
Also, as the human brain is smart enough to build extensions to its
hardware and native capabilities, it is even more arguably not
finite-state.
- samantha
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