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6Disembodied Brain s The machine s tha t daun t th e "littl e tramps " ar e mindless—strictl y nuts an d bolt s an d belt s movin g thing s along . The y d o no t solv e problems an d figure thing s out . The y replac e manua l labor . Tha t was ver y muc h wha t machine s wer e al l abou t unti l th e Secon d World Wa r an d Ala n Turing' s famou s Test , whic h claim s tha t a machine ca n b e constructe d tha t i s abl e t o answe r question s i n such a wa y tha t th e answer s ar e indistinguishabl e fro m thos e on e would expec t fro m a huma n being. 1 Whil e machine s lik e th e one s in Modern Times an d Lang' s Metropolis intrud e int o th e live s o f ordinary human s b y forcin g me n an d wome n t o tak e o n thei r rhythm an d b y replacin g peopl e i n some kind s of jobs, they d o no t actively imitate humans , they d o not threate n huma n identity . Th e emergence o f th e compute r ha s change d al l that . Computer s ar e complex machine-mind s tha t tr y t o mimic , an d i n som e area s surpass, human cognitiv e capabilities . The goa l o f th e machine/brain s presente d an d discusse d i n thi s chapter i s not onl y t o make human s thei r willin g extension s i n th e work place , bu t the y ar e endowe d wit h consciousnes s an d a wil l to phas e ou t thei r master s an d creators . The y wan t t o forc e hu mans t o becom e thei r slave s and , ultimately , t o merg e wit h hu mans an d creat e a ne w superrace . Briefly, th e concep t behin d computer s i s tha t set s o f binar y oppositions (yes/no ) can b e programmed int o a machine a s a finite 132 Disembodied Brain s 13 3 set o f instructions . Fro m th e logi c o f Bool e evolve d th e ide a o f creating machine s embodyin g hi s basi c "law s o f thought" : ma chines tha t switc h o n o r of f base d o n th e binar y notio n o f true / false. Th e first tru e computer s wer e constructe d b y scholar s a t Dartmouth Colleg e i n th e earl y '50s . The inspiratio n behin d muc h work don e i n th e are a o f computin g ha s bee n t o construc t ma chines tha t solv e problem s th e sam e wa y human s do . Earl y on , the optimis m i n th e scientifi c communit y wa s grea t tha t i t coul d be done , bu t b y th e mid-'70 s i t wa s becomin g clea r tha t creatin g machines tha t full y understood an d mad e judgments an d decision s like humans wa s probably no t goin g t o happen. At least no t a t an y time soon. 2 To moder n sf , computer s hav e becom e wha t th e la b ful l o f hissing liquid s wa s t o Dr . Jekyll : th e cor e signifier s tha t serious , potentially dangerou s scienc e i s i n progress . Th e s f compute r i s the electronic equivalen t o f the wizard's "magi c wand" : i t enable s the scientist t o work miracles . But s f i s no t onl y intereste d i n miracles . I n s f movie s th e com puter tha t i s o f...

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