Human-like Computers - A Lesson in Absurdity

Author(s):  
Manfred Velden

Some 50 years ago, the computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum found that the idea that the socialization of a machine might in any way be comparable to the one of a human, is a sign of the madness of our time. Today, the idea is mostly not seen as a mad but rather as a quite plausible one, as are many other ideas about human-likeness of computers, like them having consciousness. At a closer look, however, the alleged human-likeness of computers is merely derived from weak analogies, like them having intelligence just because they can play chess (and nothing else). The book details the psychological and physiological preconditions for human mental functions to occur, ones that cannot possibly be fulfilled by computers. It puts the computers-as-humans issue into the broader philosophical frame of the scientistic view that man is basically a machine.

Author(s):  
Leopoldina Fortunati ◽  
Anna Maria Manganelli ◽  
Joachim Höflich ◽  
Giovanni Ferrin

AbstractThis paper describes an investigation of student perceptions of the cognitive and affective capabilities of four robots that have a decreasing degree of morphological human likeness. We showed and illustrated the robots (i.e., InMoov, Padbot, Joy Robot and Turtlebot) to 62 students. After showing the students each of these robots, and explaining their main features and capabilities, we administered a fill-in questionnaire to the students. Our main hypothesis was that the perception of a robot’s cognitive and affective capabilities varied in correspondence with their appearance and in particular with their different degree of human likeness. The main results of this study indicate that the scores attributed to the cognitive and emotional capabilities of these robots are not modulated correspondingly to their different morphological similarity to humans. Furthermore, overall, the scores given to all of these robots regarding their ability to explicate mental functions are low, and even lower scores are given to their ability to feel emotions. There is a split between InMoov, the robot which has the highest degree of human likeness, and all of the others. Our results also indicate that: (1) morphological similarity of a robot to humans is not perceived automatically as such by observers, which is not considered a value in itself for the robot; and (2) even at lower levels of robot–human likeness, an uncanny valley effect arises but is quite mitigated by curiosity.


Konturen ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catrin Misselhorn

The fact that we develop feelings towards androids, i.e., objects with a humanlike appearance, has fascinated people since ancient times. However, as a short survey of the topic in history, science fiction literature and film shows, our emotional reactions towards them are ambivalent. On the one hand, we can develop feelings of empathy almost as we do with real human beings; on the other hand, we feel repulsion or dyspathy when those creatures show a very high degree of human likeness. Recently, Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori coined the term “uncanny valley” to refer to this effect. The aim of this essay is, first, to give an explanation as to why we feel empathy towards androids although we know that they do not have feelings themselves. This presupposes a perception-based concept of empathy which is going to be developed on the basis of some of Theodor Lipps’ ideas. The second question to be answered is why empathy with androids turns into dyspathy when they become very humanlike. As I will argue, this is due to a particular kind of interference between perception and the imagination when confronted with very humanlike objects. This makes androids quite special objects right at the divide between humans and non-humans. They are non-human, but we feel ill at ease when treating them as mere objects.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Dame Siregar

Human as a creature created by the Khaliq for several reasons, the theological like to worship Him, pray, away from what he has forbidden and pursue what is commanded. In social language it is to continue to grow and become a useful being. The phrase to be better has certainly been a long process, requiring mental, character, and physical changes. Academically historical studies are always related to phenomena, both phenomena that occur through the something found and a text. Like the findings of fossils or skeletons that are believed to have lived much longer with Adam A.S to Muslim beliefs as the first humans were created.This is happenedin the interpretation of Ibn 'Atsur in tafsir of al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir states that once lived a group of beings who have human likeness in QS, al-baqarah (2): 30 regarding the creation of Adam A.S. in his commentary view there is a name quote that became the first creature created but made the destruction of the earth, instead, it was created the prophet Adam A.S as the most perfect form (innovation).From this the author goes on to trace further on the history of human creation, and focuses problem on the QS. Al-Baqarah (2): 30, and stands on some important questions, what underlies the interpretation? And what influences Ibn 'Atsur's method of interpretation? And what happened at that time?The results found that his method to interpretation applied by Ibn 'Atsur is not Stagnant in the sense that he always receives a lot of knowledge from various circles of scientists who are considered worthy to be published, like the opinion of Persian and Greek beliefs concerning the first creature is not Adam AS, of humanity and Jin. Absolutely, this is not a real truth according to Ibn 'Atsur also, seen from the interpreter that is not too elongated in this matter. But he still put it because it has the value of science that is considered valuable, seen at that time has been found a fossil or frame that is believed to be a human-like creature that has lived very long. This interpretation is also reinforced by the one-time interpreter Muhammad Abduh who states the same way. The conclusion that can be captured by the author is that when it is a science, there is no harm in being included in a work such as tafsir, to be known to everyone and the extension of knowledge.


1975 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 395-407
Author(s):  
S. Henriksen

The first question to be answered, in seeking coordinate systems for geodynamics, is: what is geodynamics? The answer is, of course, that geodynamics is that part of geophysics which is concerned with movements of the Earth, as opposed to geostatics which is the physics of the stationary Earth. But as far as we know, there is no stationary Earth – epur sic monere. So geodynamics is actually coextensive with geophysics, and coordinate systems suitable for the one should be suitable for the other. At the present time, there are not many coordinate systems, if any, that can be identified with a static Earth. Certainly the only coordinate of aeronomic (atmospheric) interest is the height, and this is usually either as geodynamic height or as pressure. In oceanology, the most important coordinate is depth, and this, like heights in the atmosphere, is expressed as metric depth from mean sea level, as geodynamic depth, or as pressure. Only for the earth do we find “static” systems in use, ana even here there is real question as to whether the systems are dynamic or static. So it would seem that our answer to the question, of what kind, of coordinate systems are we seeking, must be that we are looking for the same systems as are used in geophysics, and these systems are dynamic in nature already – that is, their definition involvestime.


Author(s):  
P. R. Swann ◽  
W. R. Duff ◽  
R. M. Fisher

Recently we have investigated the phase equilibria and antiphase domain structures of Fe-Al alloys containing from 18 to 50 at.% Al by transmission electron microscopy and Mössbauer techniques. This study has revealed that none of the published phase diagrams are correct, although the one proposed by Rimlinger agrees most closely with our results to be published separately. In this paper observations by transmission electron microscopy relating to the nucleation of disorder in Fe-24% Al will be described. Figure 1 shows the structure after heating this alloy to 776.6°C and quenching. The white areas are B2 micro-domains corresponding to regions of disorder which form at the annealing temperature and re-order during the quench. By examining specimens heated in a temperature gradient of 2°C/cm it is possible to determine the effect of temperature on the disordering reaction very precisely. It was found that disorder begins at existing antiphase domain boundaries but that at a slightly higher temperature (1°C) it also occurs by homogeneous nucleation within the domains. A small (∼ .01°C) further increase in temperature caused these micro-domains to completely fill the specimen.


Author(s):  
J.A. Eades ◽  
E. Grünbaum

In the last decade and a half, thin film research, particularly research into problems associated with epitaxy, has developed from a simple empirical process of determining the conditions for epitaxy into a complex analytical and experimental study of the nucleation and growth process on the one hand and a technology of very great importance on the other. During this period the thin films group of the University of Chile has studied the epitaxy of metals on metal and insulating substrates. The development of the group, one of the first research groups in physics to be established in the country, has parallelled the increasing complexity of the field.The elaborate techniques and equipment now needed for research into thin films may be illustrated by considering the plant and facilities of this group as characteristic of a good system for the controlled deposition and study of thin films.


Author(s):  
M. G. Lagally

It has been recognized since the earliest days of crystal growth that kinetic processes of all Kinds control the nature of the growth. As the technology of crystal growth has become ever more refined, with the advent of such atomistic processes as molecular beam epitaxy, chemical vapor deposition, sputter deposition, and plasma enhanced techniques for the creation of “crystals” as little as one or a few atomic layers thick, multilayer structures, and novel materials combinations, the need to understand the mechanisms controlling the growth process is becoming more critical. Unfortunately, available techniques have not lent themselves well to obtaining a truly microscopic picture of such processes. Because of its atomic resolution on the one hand, and the achievable wide field of view on the other (of the order of micrometers) scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) gives us this opportunity. In this talk, we briefly review the types of growth kinetics measurements that can be made using STM. The use of STM for studies of kinetics is one of the more recent applications of what is itself still a very young field.


Author(s):  
M. R. Pinnel ◽  
A. Lawley

Numerous phenomenological descriptions of the mechanical behavior of composite materials have been developed. There is now an urgent need to study and interpret deformation behavior, load transfer, and strain distribution, in terms of micromechanisms at the atomic level. One approach is to characterize dislocation substructure resulting from specific test conditions by the various techniques of transmission electron microscopy. The present paper describes a technique for the preparation of electron transparent composites of aluminum-stainless steel, such that examination of the matrix-fiber (wire), or interfacial region is possible. Dislocation substructures are currently under examination following tensile, compressive, and creep loading. The technique complements and extends the one other study in this area by Hancock.The composite examined was hot-pressed (argon atmosphere) 99.99% aluminum reinforced with 15% volume fraction stainless steel wire (0.006″ dia.).Foils were prepared so that the stainless steel wires run longitudinally in the plane of the specimen i.e. the electron beam is perpendicular to the axes of the wires. The initial step involves cutting slices ∼0.040″ in thickness on a diamond slitting wheel.


Author(s):  
C.L. Briant

Grain boundary segregation is the process by which solute elements in a material diffuse to the grain boundaries, become trapped there, and increase their local concentration at the boundary over that in the bulk. As a result of this process this local concentration of the segregant at the grain boundary can be many orders of magnitude greater than the bulk concentration of the segregant. The importance of this problem lies in the fact that grain boundary segregation can affect many material properties such as fracture, corrosion, and grain growth.One of the best ways to study grain boundary segregation is with Auger electron spectroscopy. This spectroscopy is an extremely surface sensitive technique. When it is used to study grain boundary segregation the sample must first be fractured intergranularly in the high vacuum spectrometer. This fracture surface is then the one that is analyzed. The development of scanning Auger spectrometers have allowed researchers to first image the fracture surface that is created and then to perform analyses on individual grain boundaries.


Author(s):  
Z. L. Wang

A new dynamical theory has been developed based on Yoshioka's coupled equations for describing inelastic electron scattering in thin crystals. Compared to existing theories, the primary advantage of this theory is that the incoherent summation of the diffracted intensities contributed by electrons after exciting vast numbers of different excited states has been evaluated before any numerical calculation. An additional advantage is that the phase correlations of atomic vibrations are considered, so that full lattice dynamics can be combined in the phonon scattering calculation. The new theory has been proven to be equivalent to the inelastic multislice theory, and has been applied to calculate energy-filtered diffraction patterns and images formed by phonon, single electron and valence scattered electrons.A calculated diffraction pattern of elastic and phonon scattered electrons for a parallel incident beam case is in agreement with the one observed (Fig. 1), showing thermal diffuse scattering (TDS) streaks and Kikuchi pattern.


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