Re: The Emotional Computer

Gregory Houston (vertigo@triberian.com)
Mon, 31 Mar 1997 01:08:44 -0600


MGCostello@aol.com wrote:

> Please get me off this mailing list!!

A computer cannot be upset by the data being sent to it as this person
has expressed. If the data a computer is sent is incompatible the
program will either issue an objective error message or it will crash.
The computer is effected, but not affected by the data. Humans are both
effected and affected by the data which they recieve. I could program a
computer to respond "Please get me off this mailing list!!" with two
exclamation points, but the computer has not actually *felt* the need to
express itself in that way. It was merely the logical way for it to act
based on my programming of it. If my CNS effected only my thoughts and
did not affect my emotions, then I would would be just like a computer,
purely rational (cognitive) and lacking any irrationality (emotive).

By the way, I found John's post on the emotional computer extremely
informative.

Explore and play,

-- 
Gregory Houston                 Triberian Institute of Emotive Education
vertigo@triberian.com           http://www.triberian.com 
phone:    816.561.1524          info@triberian.com
cellular: 816.807.6660          snail: PO Box 32046 Kansas City MO 64171

"Empowered, impassioned, we have a lust for life insatiable!"