Extra Credit – Darren Kwan

Throughout the course we have been dealing with the topic of “mind” and “machine”. The main question is can machines think? After analyzing all the readings I say that machines can not think. In the text “Computing Machinery and Intelligence” by A.M. Turing, the writer makes various arguments about the possibility of machines thinking. But most of the arguments lean towards to it would be unlikely for machines to think. A quote from that text involving one the arguments called The Argument from Consciousness, “Not until a machine can write a sonnet or compose a concerto because of thoughts and emotions felt, and not by the chance fall of symbols, could we agree that machine equals brain – that is, not only write it but know that it had written it.” From this following quote, it explains that machines are programmed to perform an action such as writing a poem or song. When they write it they don’t know exactly what they are doing. In order to know if you are thinking, you do have to feel it, and be thinking bout it. Similar to what they quote states using emotions and thoughts to compose a song is necessary, because that shows what you are expressing. It is too mechanical to just perform a certain action and not think about it from your consciousness.

-Darren Kwan