人工智能科学在十七、十八世纪欧洲哲学中的观念起源

尽管人工智能科学是在二战后才在西方科技界涌现的,但其思想根苗至少可以上溯到十七、十八世纪的欧洲哲学。具体而言,人工智能的哲学基础问题可被一分为二:第一,建立一个能够展现真正人类智能的纯机械模型,在观念上是否可能?第二,若前述问题的答案是肯定的,怎样的人类心智模型才能够为这种模型的建立提供最佳的参照?本文将论证,笛卡尔和莱布尼茨对上述第一个问题都给出了否定的回答,而霍布斯则给出了肯定的回答。至于第二个问题,休谟关于心智构架的重构工作,就可以被视为当代AI科学中的联结主义进路的先驱,而康德在调和直观和思维时所付出的努力,则为当代AI专家整合自下而上进路和从上至下进路的种种方案所应和。一言以蔽之,十七、十八世纪的欧洲哲学实乃AI科学的一个潜在的智库,尽管AI界的主流对此并无清楚之意识。

The Prototypes of the Very Idea of Artificial Intelligence in the 17th and 18th Century European Philosophy

Although Artificial Intelligence(AI) is a relatively new discipline emerging in the 20th century,its root can be traced back,minimally speaking,to the 17th and 18th century European Philosophy.Philosophers in these two centuries,knowing nothing about modern computer science notwithstanding,did approach to the philosophical foundation of AI by raising at least two questions:First,is it conceptually possible to build up a mechanical model which can perfectly behave as a genuine intelligent agent? Second,if th...