HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015686.jpg
1.29 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
2
Organizations
1
Locations
1
Events
2
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book manuscript / evidence page
File Size:
1.29 MB
Summary
This document appears to be page xii of a book or manuscript titled 'Are the Androids Dreaming Yet?'. It contains philosophical and scientific text discussing determinism, free will, human cognition versus computer processing, and the nature of scientific belief, referencing Daniel Dennett and Richard Feynman. The document bears a House Oversight footer, indicating it was collected as evidence, likely during an investigation into scientific funding or associations (potentially related to Epstein's connections to the scientific community).
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Dennett | Philosopher/Cognitive Scientist |
Quoted by the author regarding free will and determinism.
|
| Richard Feynman | Physicist |
Quoted by the author regarding the scientific method and beliefs.
|
| Unidentified Author | Scientist/Writer |
The narrator of the text ('I'), discussing their views on free will and science.
|
Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Cal Tech |
Location where Richard Feynman delivered the referenced lecture.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the footer stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015686'.
|
Timeline (1 events)
Unknown (Historical)
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Venue for Richard Feynman's lecture.
|
Relationships (2)
Author quotes Dennett to contrast views on free will.
Author quotes Feynman to support views on scientific beliefs.
Key Quotes (3)
"You have no free will. Get over it!"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015686.jpg
Quote #1
"If you want to discover a theorem... first, you guess, then you work out some effect predicted by the theorem. Finally, you see if the effect happens in the real world."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015686.jpg
Quote #2
"Science does not forbid beliefs. It just requires you to be prepared to have one overturned if a better one comes along."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015686.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,023 characters)
xii Are the Androids Dreaming Yet?
decision was already made. As Daniel Dennett says, “You have no free
will. Get over it!” They say I am effectively an avatar in some giant cosmic
computer game, going about my business in an entirely predefined way. I
do not agree! If they are right all the coincidences and chance actions of
my life were fixed at the time of the Big Bang. I feel this must be wrong,
but finding a chink in the determinist armor is hard work; the laws of
physics as we know them today are almost exclusively deterministic.
This book lays out the options – the chinks – that would allow free will
to enter our Universe.
To understand human thinking we would really like to look inside
a working human brain. We can’t do this yet. All we can do is observe
minds at work when they communicate with one another. If our minds
think non-computationally – as I believe – we should be able to see them
struggle when they have to translate thoughts into symbolic form. The
more symbolic, the harder it will be. This is indeed what we observe: face-
to-face communication is easy, while formal written modes are much
harder. We will explore the difference between human and computer
communication as our first step in locating the weakness in the armor
of determinism.
will. Get over it!” They say I am effectively an avatar in some giant cosmic
computer game, going about my business in an entirely predefined way. I
do not agree! If they are right all the coincidences and chance actions of
my life were fixed at the time of the Big Bang. I feel this must be wrong,
but finding a chink in the determinist armor is hard work; the laws of
physics as we know them today are almost exclusively deterministic.
This book lays out the options – the chinks – that would allow free will
to enter our Universe.
To understand human thinking we would really like to look inside
a working human brain. We can’t do this yet. All we can do is observe
minds at work when they communicate with one another. If our minds
think non-computationally – as I believe – we should be able to see them
struggle when they have to translate thoughts into symbolic form. The
more symbolic, the harder it will be. This is indeed what we observe: face-
to-face communication is easy, while formal written modes are much
harder. We will explore the difference between human and computer
communication as our first step in locating the weakness in the armor
of determinism.
What do I Believe?
As a scientist, I ought not to have beliefs. I should have theories and
working assumptions. But, as a human being, I must admit believing
certain things are true. Science does not forbid beliefs. It just requires
you to be prepared to have one overturned if a better one comes along.
Richard Feynman summed this up in a lecture he delivered at Cal Tech:
“If you want to discover a theorem,” he said, “first, you guess, then you
work out some effect predicted by the theorem. Finally, you see if the
effect happens in the real world. If it does, you have a good theory. If the
effect happens a little differently, you will need to look for a better theory.”
Here are some of my overturn-able beliefs.
As a scientist, I ought not to have beliefs. I should have theories and
working assumptions. But, as a human being, I must admit believing
certain things are true. Science does not forbid beliefs. It just requires
you to be prepared to have one overturned if a better one comes along.
Richard Feynman summed this up in a lecture he delivered at Cal Tech:
“If you want to discover a theorem,” he said, “first, you guess, then you
work out some effect predicted by the theorem. Finally, you see if the
effect happens in the real world. If it does, you have a good theory. If the
effect happens a little differently, you will need to look for a better theory.”
Here are some of my overturn-able beliefs.
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015686
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