Saturday, April 22, 2006

Machines Can't Meditate

Machines can calculate, remember, draw, fly, swim, play music, record images, record sounds, land on mars, shoot, detect motion, x-ray, copy, read, hum, drive, drill, fan, walk, crawl, light, power, analyse, lift, push, click, sense, zap, cut, explode, shine, flash, manufacture, measure, cook, toast, grill, vibrate, radio, recognize, speak, direct traffic, place orders, count money, dispense money (notes and coins), regulate, store, trigger, authorise, open, close, push, pull, play chess, heat, cool, freeze, catch viruses, babysit, shake, stir, squeeze, grind, sew, weave, alert, remind, spell check, electrocute, guide, instruct, decide, choose, pay, print, play, interact, connect, project, randomize, sort, spy, gaurd, verify, predict, design, add, subtract and compute.

Most of these things it can do better than us. But there's one thing they can't do - never have been able to and never will be able to: MEDITATE. A machine will never be able to sit and feel the flame of life pulsating through it's living tissue. Never experience full awareness and consciousness of alivehood.

The last human outpost.

3 comments:

  1. During some energy peak they might think they meditated, just a moment before exploding.

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  2. They can't meditate? What is that humming sound when I am not using the computer? I could have sworn it was a mantra!

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  3. thens there's:

    - recalling ( the machine can regurgitate what it knows but the human alsways tells a stroy about what it s remebered which is never quite exactly what is remebered or a complete invnetion, but we the listers are never quite sure where the line is to be drawn)

    - thinking as distinctint from meditating)

    I like what Bronowsky (don't ask me where) said:
    [paraphrased]

    the brains good at foresight and hindsight(if you draw the diagram the line separating the two is the now, the hic et nunc which so many of the wise tell us to live in , which is always more mysterious.

    ReplyDelete

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