Finish working through the Jets and Sharks exercises from class. The Jets and Sharks network implementation files are here:
Finish reading Why Connectionism?, by Elman et al. (handout from class)
Read A Conversation with Einstein's Brain by Douglas Hofstadter (supplementary reading #12). In a way, this article can be seen as a response to Searle's Chinese Room argument, in particular to Searle's criticism of the "Systems Reply", about which Searle says (on page 189 of Minds, Brains, and Programs):
The idea is that while a person doesn't understand Chinese, somehow the conjunction of that person and some bits of paper might understand Chinese. It is not easy for me to imagine how someone who was not in the grip of an ideology would find the idea at all plausible. Still, I think many people who are committed to the ideology of strong AI will in the end be inclined to say something very much like this.
After reading the Hofstadter piece, does this idea seem any more or less plausible (or fanciful) to you?
Turn in a writeup of your answers to the Jets and Sharks questions in class. Also, submit your modified jetsNsharks.py file using the Homework Upload Site. You do not need to submit jsGraphics.py.
If you have questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask!