Azur (Jun 2020)
Máquinas y autómatas: contribuciones para el diseño de lo artificial en Descartes
Abstract
We analyze in this paper Descartes´ conception of bodies as machines, and a comparison is made between organic bodies (those of human beings and animals) and automata or artificial bodies. From such a comparison he derives what he calls the architecture of organic and artificial machines. From the postulate that it is not possible to make automata as intelligent as human begins, Descartes proposes his mental experiment of the mechanical human beings. The method is analytical, since he decomposes the totality of the body in its parts, so that he can see how they work and how bodies are articulated and organized. In this way he develops a new conception of the body. Hence, we can talk about a Cartesian theory to explain how machines operate and also deduce some principles for the operation of machines. Before Turing, Descartes establishes a criterion to distinguish between “natural” and “artificial” intelligence, what he calls the game of imitation. This is the criterion invoked when he denies that automata may be similar to a human being, since humans have singularities not to be found in automata. But the conclusion can be reached that from Descartes´ thought the possibility of automata imitating some aspects of human behavior can be asserted.
