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Old 20th April 2012, 07:05 PM   #211
Brian-M
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Originally Posted by Leumas View Post
You are conveniently EQUIVOCATING the word simulation now.... this is disingenuous to the extreme.....you are relying on the evasiveness so far by computationalists to accept the DISTINCTION between simulation and emulation. I think this has been a DELIBERATE tactic and a very dishonest one.

Clearly you don't understand what these words actually mean. Let me correct that for you...

Emulation: Running a program or other software designed for a different system.
Simulation: Something which simulates a system or environment in order to predict actual behaviour.
Simulate: To model, replicate, duplicate the behavior, appearance or properties of.

Originally Posted by Leumas View Post
Do you think there are computerized replicas (emulations) of cells?

Yes
, although precise whole-cell molecular model is still being developed.

Originally Posted by Leumas View Post
Originally Posted by Brian-M View Post
It's not a matter of conjecture. It's a matter of computability theory. If the task of interpreting these images was not a computable function it would theoretically impossible for anyone or anything to interpret them. Since humans can interpret them, then this must be a computable function, and therefore it is theoretically possible for a computer to do this.

Whether or not it would be practical to program a computer to do this is a different question entirely. Possibly it might take an absurd amount of processing power or time (which amounts to the same thing, as double the amount of time is equivalent to double the amount of processing power), or it might require programming in vast amounts of contextual knowledge and understanding that humans unconsciously acquire in childhood.


Presumably you believe the words you've bolded and highlighted are in contradiction with each other (which would be strange because my clarification that the second paragraph addresses "a different question entirely" is part of the highlighted text).

If so, this would be further evidence of your inadequate reading comprehension skills. I see no reason to continue arguing with someone either unable or unwilling to comprehend plainly worded posts.
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