> > When does speculation become fantasy?
> What are you talking about? It is YOU who keep referring to
> fantasy. I never did once, ever, except in response to your
> queries.
But what about my question? I would really like to know
when does speculation become fantasy?
> > Just because Einstein did it, doesn't mean it is the right thing to
> > do. Einstein also committed adultery, is that alright now too? Too
> > bad Einstein didn't believe in God or that would be OK also.
> It was 'right' because it was useful. It resulted in the theory of
> general relativity.
Christianity was useful. Communnism is still useful. Dictatorship
is still useful. I see alot of uncertainty in saying that something is
"right" because it is useful.
> I'm confused. The article you referred to talked about humans
> developing a new brain mechanism.
Not humans. Animals that were precurssors to humans.
> If a neural network "develops"
> (for lack of a better term) a mechanism that appears identical,
> then what word should I use other than "develop"?
No computer program has a *need* to assimulate or process
memories "offline", which is what a dream is. That is what I
understood the research on that dream to mean, and that is
why I strongly reccommended that no one take my word for
it but read that article too. Another perspective on this matter
would help me alleviate my doubts about my understanding.
> If we don't
> use "develop" for either the neural net or the human, the fact
> still remains that the neural net is doing something that appears
> identical to what the human brain does when it dreams. I claim
> that this is an interesting result. I do not claim that I under-
> stand how the neural net "developed" such a behavior, but I do
> claim that it is interesting that it behaved in such a way.
> Are you at all interested in the result?
No, I am not. The fact that the "research" implied that dreams served
no purpose and were random, goes contrary to psychological
research on the subject, starting first with Freud's discovery of the
hidden subconscious revelations behind dreaming.