[Buddha-l] S Pinker

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Fri, 2005-07-08 at 11:28 -0700, Hal Cooper wrote:

> In the field of computational intelligence, Blank Slate is all we have to
> work with.  How could a computer have Karma?

No computer can operate without an operating system. Computers that were
really bad in a previous life get Windows, the software equivalent of a
hell realm. Really good computers get Linux (SuSE for the devas, Fedora
for the asuras).


> What is the on/off switch for a sentient being? 

I wish I knew. There are a few I wouldn't mind turning off.

> The birth/death switch.

More like the awake/asleep function that comes with most sentient
beings.

I'd say more, but it's a hot day here, and I need to go amuse myself by
training my attack snails.

-- 
Richard Hayes