Comic #5815: thought-2
Description
Here's the transcription of the comic text:
Panel 1:
- Character 1: Do you think computers can "think"?
- Character 2: Yes, like everything else.
Panel 2:
- Character 2: Take 100 coins and lay them in a row. The system of you and the coin has now "thought" of a number in binary.
Panel 3:
- Character 2: Take another 100 coins and you can add two numbers together, producing a new number registered in the coins. You can do this without understanding anything other than two rules about adding and carrying, never knowing the numbers you added or the result you got.
Panel 4:
- Character 1: So, either we arrived at a solution with no thinking at all, or the coins themselves were thinking.
Panel 5:
- Character 2: Once you accept this, it’s clear that computations are happening everywhere all the time. When you walk, you’re causing a computation in the snow. When you breathe, you’re causing a computation in the air.
Panel 6:
- Character 2: Okay, the whole universe thinks all the time, but it doesn’t think about whether it’s thinking.
Panel 7:
- Character 1: Right. Humans think about whether we’re thinking and then conclude nothing else is doing the same!
Panel 8:
- Character 2: Everything thinks. What makes humans special is we also come to incorrect conclusions.
Panel 9:
- Character 1: Then we are special.
Panel 10:
- Character 1: See, this is a perfect example.
Let me know if you need further assistance!