From Literature to Biterature: Lem, Turing, Darwin, and Explorations in Computer Literature, Philosophy of Mind, and Cultural Evolution

244 Pages·2013·2.518 MB·English

by  Peter Swirski

from literature to biterature
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preface iii
FROM
L I T E R A T U R E
TO
B I T E R A T U R E
Lem, Turing, Darwin, and Explorations in Computer Literature,
Philosophy of Mind, and Cultural Evolution
PETER SWIRSKI
McGill-Queen’s University Press
Montreal & Kingston (cid:127)London (cid:127) Ithaca
iv preface
© McGill-Queen’s University Press 2013
isbn978-0-7735-4295-2(cloth)
isbn978-0-7735-8991-9(epdf)
isbn978-0-7735-8992-6(epub)
Legal deposit third quarter 2013
Bibliothèque nationale du Québec
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper that is 100% ancient forest
free (100% post-consumer recycled), processed chlorine free
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the
Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences,
through the Awards to Scholarly Publications Program, using funds
provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
of Canada.
McGill-Queen’s University Press acknowledges the support of the
Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We also
acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada
through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Swirski, Peter, 1963–, author
From literature to biterature : Lem, Turing, Darwin, and explo-
rations in computer literature, philosophy of mind, and cultural
evolution / Peter Swirski.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
isbn978-0-7735-4295-2(bound). – isbn978-0-7735-8991-9(epdf). –
isbn978-0-7735-8992-6(epub)
1. Computers and civilization. 2. Artificial intelligence. 3. Social
evolution. 4. Literature – Philosophy. 5. Philosophy of mind.
6. Language and languages – Philosophy. I. Title.
qa76.9.c66s94 2013 303.48'34 c2013-902978-8
c2013-902979-6
This book was typeset by True to Type in 10.5/13Baskerville
1
Foreword v
Dedicated to Jaakko Hintikka, Sami Pihlström,
David Livingstone Smith, and other bibliosophers
of today and tomorrow
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preface vii
Contents
Lemmata
Narrative Intelligence; Test of Time; Avocados or Wombats; Institute
for Advanced Studies; Builtware and Bitware; Paignton Zoo 3
part one
1 Biterature
Toscanelli’s Map; Bloomsday; Titan; Manchester Mark; Manglers
and Mashers; Suits for the Dawn Patrol; Charabia; Short for
Raconteur; I Gave Myself an Electric Current; Abe’s Saloon!;
Humming (to Itself?) 17
2 Computhors
Poetic Licence; Devotchka; Analytical Engine; EZ-Writer; Möbius-Like;
JFK; One-Armed Bandit; Homeostat Sapiens; As It Sees
Fit; Brainstorm; A1, B2, C3; Black Boxes 35
3 Bibliosophy
La Chanson de Roland; The Motherboard of All Problems; Little
Endian; Algo Trading; Father Roberto Busa; Riverside Shakespeare;
Death in Holbein; Zettabyte; A Hamlet Every Eight Seconds; A Pill
That Makes Me Feel Loved 53
4 Transhumana
Non Serviam; Collective Loss of Morale; Slippery Slope; Artificial Stu-
pidity; Prometheus and Dolus; L’Homme Machine; DARPA; Nobel Prize
in Biterature; Chatbots in Chatter 71
viii Contents
part two
5 tt
Supercalifragilistic; Adroit Android; Imitation Game; Parry; Exit
Human, Enter Machine; I, Object; I Always Avoid a Kangaroo; Reverse
Turing Test; Ultimatest; Aramis 89
6 qed
Troubles with Functionalism; Print This!; Trompe l’Oeil; Like the
Pope; A Bevy of Pigeons; No More, No Less; Dicty; Operational
Definition?; Flugblogs; On Being Mental 111
7 ToM
Kismet; PaPeRo; Guilty as Charged; Eureka; Meaning; Elementary,
Dear Wason; Biology in Action; Driving Range; Insula Cortex;
On Being Redundant 130
8 Y2K+
Methuselah; Yes!; An Amphibian with a Stick; Ellipses in This
Picture; Software for the Soul; Parallel Paradigm; Erlang and
Mira; DelFlies; Eruntics; Cogito Paradox 149
part three
9 How to Make War and Assassinate People
Ice-Pick and Ricin; A Small African Country; Licence to Kill;
Solsects, Sunsects, Synsects; Fires at the Sun; Candy, Anyone?;
Bacteriology; Safe Investment 171
10 Biologic, or the Philosophy of Error
Axiomatic Givens; Nature’s Greatest Error; Wandering Jew;
Critique of Pure Reason; Manna from Heaven; What Is;
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern 183
11 Mind Your Business
100,000Years; You’re Flying Low, Mac; Neuromancer; See
Further; The Making of a Fly 197
Notes 205
Bibliography 209
Index 225
The Concept of Culture
from literature to biterature
Since most of the statements in this book are speculations,it would have
been too tedious to mention this on every page. Instead I did the oppo-
site – by taking out all words like “possibly”and deleting every reference
to scientific evidence. Accordingly, this book should be read less as a text
of scientific scholarship and more as an adventure story for the imagina-
tion. Each idea should be seen not as a firm hypothesis about the mind,
but as another implement to keep inside one’s toolboxfor making
theories of the mind.
Marvin Minsky