We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.
Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition.
We are not interested in the fact that the brain has the consistency of cold porridge.
A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.
The idea behind digital computers may be explained by saying that these machines are intended to carry out any operations which could be done by a human computer.
Mathematical reasoning may be regarded rather schematically as the exercise of a combination of two facilities, which we may call intuition and ingenuity.
Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no-one can imagine
Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.
I have such a stressful job that the only way I can get it out of my mind is by running hard.
I have had a dream indicating rather clearly that I am on the way to being hetero, though I don't accept it with much enthusiasm either awake or in the dreams.
Codes are a puzzle. A game, just like any other game.
I want a permanent relationship, and I might feel inclined to reject anything which of its nature could not be permanent.
No, I'm not interested in developing a powerful brain. All I'm after is just a mediocre brain, something like the President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Mathematical reasoning may be regarded...
Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes hollow.
Programming is a skill best acquired by practice and example rather than from books.
Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.
A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal machine.
I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted.
No, I'm not interested in developing a powerful brain...
I'm afraid that the following syllogism may be used by some in the future. Turing believes machines think Turing lies with men Therefore machines do not think Yours in distress, Alan
Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child's? If this were then subjected to an appropriate course of education one would obtain the adult brain.
We may hope that machines will eventually compete with men in all purely intellectual fields.
If a machine is expected to be infallible, it cannot also be intelligent.
There is, however, one feature that I would like to suggest should be incorporated in the machines, and that is a 'random element.' Each machine should be supplied with a tape bearing a random series of figures, e.g., 0 and 1 in equal quantities, and this series of figures should be used in the choices made by the machine. This would result in the behaviour of the machine not being by any means completely determined by the experiences to which it was subjected, and would have some valuable uses when one was experimenting with it.
A very large part of space-time must be investigated, if reliable results are to be obtained.
The original question, 'Can machines think?' I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.
Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible.
It seems probable that once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers… They would be able to converse with each other to sharpen their wits. At some stage therefore, we should have to expect the machines to take control.
