Re: Godel

Goedel's theorem hardly proves that the human mind is not algorithmic.

(I don't know what is meant by the claim that the human mind is algorithmic, but that is a seperate issue)

Suppose we build the World's Only Mechanistic Algorithmic Network or W.O.M.A.N for short.

We take the sentence 'A WOMAN cannot prove this sentence is true', and code, or Goedelise it, into a statement about number theory.

Clearly the WOMAN cannot prove the statement about number theory, or else that would be equivalent to proving that she cannot prove the statement.

Equally clearly both the sentence and the resultant theorem about number theory are true. A man can prove that it is true, but a WOMAN can not.

Should we conclude that a WOMAN cannot be conscious or have a human mind, in the way that a man can?

I think not.
Received on Wed Mar 30 11:58:31 2005