Turing the Gospel

[Paul Mackin]

On Thu, 30 Dec 1999, rj wrote:

> jp
> > the existence of Artificial Intelligence would
> > logically imply the existence of E.S.P. The two are linked in two ways.
> > Primarily, the existence of non-corporeal intelligence is, by definition,
> > extra-sensory.
> 
> Again, and as s~Z has said (and remained unaddressed), it is only
> language which creates this link, and elevates these faculties. What if
> "extra-sensory" is a misnomer? What if telepathy *is* a sensory faculty,
> a (scientifically unacknowledged) sixth sense? What if thought waves
> exist as substantive phenomena like sound or light waves, just that they
> are not empirically-discernible by any machines that we have so far
> invented? (Although, that lie detector test comes pretty close.) Those
> human adepts who have evolved receptors to these (hypothetical) waves
> are still human -- corporeal.

Isn't an attempt to have an intelligent discussion about so called ESP
hopelessly mired down in the dualistic way of thinking handed 
down to us from Plato, Aristotle, Galileo and Descarte--that accepts the
existence of two separate domains of phenomona? The distinction between
corporeal and noncorporeal is something science would like to do away
with but unfortunately no one has been able to measure thoughts. (There
are brainwaves (EEG) but these don't cut it.) Philosophy would also
like to abolish mind-body separation as witnessed by Heideggar's
and other's attempts  to play down the distinction. Alas, religion is the
hold-out. There needs to remain somewhere for those spirits to reside.

			P.