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PHILOSOPHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC PRESUPPOSITIONS OF LOGICAL AI

  Extinguished theologians lie about the cradle of every
science as the strangled snakes beside that of Hercules.
--T. H. Huxley (Darwin's bulldog)gif

Abstract: Many ideas from philosophy, especially from recent analytic philosophy, are usable for AI. However, some philosophical points of view make assumptions that have the effect of excluding the possibility of AI. Likewise work on AI is not neutral with regard to philosophical issues. This chapter presents what we consider the presuppositions of logical AI and also some scientific presuppositions, i.e. some results of science that are relevant. We emphasize the relation to AI rather than philosophy itself.





John McCarthy
Tue Jul 6 19:05:44 PDT 1999