Re: A Critical Question

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 17:45:37 GMT, "OmegaZero2003"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> in comp.ai.philosophy wrote:

>
>"Lester Zick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 19:31:05 GMT, "OmegaZero2003"
>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> in comp.ai.philosophy wrote:
>>
>> >
>> >"Lester Zick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
>> >news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>> [. . .]
>> >> >
>> >> You know, I have no intention of denying what you suggest. Everything
>> >> we know about concrete blocks suggests they are not alive and do not
>> >> possess all the ostensible attributes we assign to the brain. What I
>> >> was trying to point out was simply that the blood and guts theory of
>> >> brain function doesn't really explain how it differs from what we
>> >> consider consider blocks.
>> >
>> >Sure it does; brain is a dissipative structure; blocks are not.
>>
>> I'm not sure what you mean exactly by dissipative. Heat dissipative?
>
>No!  A dissipative struture is one that takes in energy from the local
>environment to maintain complexity (negentropic).

Would any endothermic process do that?
>
>See Illya Prigogene FMI.
>
>> If so any material structure fulfills that definition.
>> >
>> >That is one obvious difference.
>> >
>> >Another is that brain's create information.  Blocks do not.
>>
>> And you know this how? So far I haven't seen any exact definition for
>> information except the one I offered in terms of differences.
>
>An active agent is required to create information from a signal (only
>differences make a difference and therby create information - Bateson; note
>that that Batesonian truism implies (if you read his work), that the : "make
>a difference" clause refers to an un-named subject - that is - some
>cognizing entity - be it an insect, a plant or a human.  Cognizing here is
>meant to be taken in a *very broad* sense!
>
>To make the transform from data to information, and thence to knowledge (in
>higher-cognizing forms) and thence to wisdom (in still higher-cognizing
>forms), energy is needed.  Energy from the local environment - thus the
>reference to negentropy.
>
Is a computer a negentropic process?


Regards - Lester