More Denton: A new book (Introduction)

by dhw, Tuesday, March 01, 2016, 13:24 (3189 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: You are the only person I know who defines autonomous/independent as meaning dependent on instructions which have to be obeyed. This is like an atheist defining God as a fictional being invented by humans. Autonomy means the ability to make decisions and to act without instructions or coercion from anyone else. - DAVID: I use my concept exactly as this entry about autonomous cars in Wiki:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car - They are fully programmed to act autonomously, but I understand they are really not, but under constraints of the internal program - QUOTE: An autonomous car (driverless car,[1] self-driving car,[2] robotic car[3]) is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input.[4] - As cars don't invent anything new, I'm afraid the analogy doesn't work, but as far as the meaning of “autonomous” is concerned, it fits once we replace “navigation” with the appropriate characteristics and designer: an autonomous inventive mechanism is a mechanism that is capable of sensing its environment, taking decisions, adapting AND INVENTING without divine input. Humans have invented the autonomous car. Your car analogy is not of a divine computer programme for every innovation, but of your God inventing the autonomous inventive mechanism, i.e. a mechanism which does its own inventing just as the car does its own navigating. - dhw:And please tell us if you think your God is incapable of creating an AUTONOMOUS mechanism as I have defined it.
DAVID: I think He can and it will act like the car above. - Thank you. The autonomous inventive mechanism will invent without divine input.