Can a machine know?

Due to rapid advances in technology, machines have become an important aspect in daily life for human beings. From all sorts of characteristics in life humans have become more and more dependant on machinery. A small machine such as the calculator can calculate numbers with amazing speed and accuracy in comparison to the human brain. Machines stores information and remembers it and calculates according to its programming. But do the machines ‘know’ what they are doing? There is a limitation to the definition of ‘knowing’ something, this ambiguity allows creates a disbelief in the title.

Know is described as “having knowledge through observation, inquiry, or information.”1 And machine is described as “An apparatus applying or using mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task.”2 What definition is suitable to this word depends on a person’s bias. In spite of one arguing that machines do know, it is more convincing to say that machines only do what they are programmed to do.

One can argue that by taking a different angle on the area of knowledge we can find that modern machinery has the capacity for logic and reasoning. Even though computers are designed to identify patterns from stored information and make choices, however this does not require thinking.

For example, machines which play chess which have been encoded to detect any move that can be made in a game that we thought was one of the heights of human intelligence. The world champion of chess Kasparov lost his sixth consecutive game to an IBM computer called Deep Blue in 1997. However one can argue that the computer has been programmed by some of the greatest minds of the world, and with this it can process this information enough to make the correct moves during the game and does not give the machine the knowledge to make the moves itself. And also there were rumours that Kasparov suffered from a psychological breakdown at this time.

The ‘Father of modern philosophy’, Descartes developed this mechanistic philosophy, who perceived the world as lacking life, thus creating powers of spirit, all head and no heart. The exact characteristics that a machine provides, information without the dangerous ways knowledge, emotion and perception. As emotion comes in the way of human beings in the quest for more knowledge as his/her feelings affects that person’s judgment. Perception allows every single human being to see and think in different ways, it is what makes us unique. However by using our different perceptions we are imposing biasness on what or whom we ...

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On the other hand, humans are able to acquire knowledge through their five senses whereas machines depend solely on solid data. Sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch allows humans to interpret and analyze knowledge in an in-depth manner, while computers will only acquire knowledge through the information itself. This can again be linked to emotion as humans often make knowledge and emotion interfere with each other, while computers do not have feelings.

However due to the huge evolution in computers and the creation of artificial intelligence, this statement could become true. Artificial intelligence is known as the “the study and design of intelligent agents where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions which maximizes its chances of success.”3 Now this makes things interesting as AI technology can be used in machines and there are machines which perceive objects in its environment. For example, the iRobot Corporation developed the PackBot, a machine that has the ability to perceive things in its environment, it is now being tested and used by the U.S. military and NASA.

AI philosophers still debate whether a man-made object can or cannot be conscious which includes the philosophy of mind. Some argue that true consciousness cannot be achieved by logistical systems, while others debate that functionalism is correct i.e. mental states such as beliefs, desires etc. are constituted only for their relations with other mental states. This shows how the human psyche can be linked to its creation of machines and how machines interpret things if they have a conscious.

Moreover, this point raises the question of machines evolving more than humans due to human dependence on machines. This point is often raised in popular culture and fiction as films such as The Matrix, I, Robot and 2001: A Space Odyssey portray AI as an upcoming power trying to overthrow human authority. This could seem far-fetched but as we have seen in recent years the use of technology has affected almost every human on earth whether it be good or bad.

One negative aspect of computers and machines in general is that they do not have the ability to learn from their own mistakes. Due to their restrictions of information and knowledge, machines have to go through the process of trial-and-error without working out a method to reach that result, its just that some machines have the ability to process the information faster. This shows that some machines are unable to learn, and if not, can they know? Also once a human solves a doubt or question, one looks for explanations for greater belief ad deeper understanding. This could make us believe that we do not have enough knowledge about how machines work. And futuristic machines may have the ability to actually think like humans.

The Turing test proposes a sufficient condition for intelligence is the ability to converse with a human in a way that the human is fooled that he is communicating with another human being. This test allows us to involve another way of knowledge into the argument: language. This allows us to analyze that if a machine is intelligent enough to demonstrate linguistic capabilities it is knowledgeable as it has the necessary amount of knowledge to converse with a human being.

Machinery cannot perceive things as it is only through senses that we can have perception. Also it is very rare that a computer will have a justification of its actions unless it is programmed to do so as a part of that machines reasoning.

There is no doubt that there has been amazing progress in the area of science and technology. Psychologists are already describing human beings as ‘biological information processors.’ Which raises the question; can human beings be considered machines? Computers come from a reductionist philosophy which sees everything as physical, chemical and electric processes where nothing has meaning. The way machine is defined could prove that the human anatomy is actually a machine which has various parts (organs) which work together along with mechanical power to make it function.

In conclusion, the statement is mainly based on one’s perception of the definition and functions of machines and knowledge. Machines can know, but they only know to a simpler level comparing to what humans know due to our different ways of knowing (Emotion, perception, reason and language). With the advancement in recent years of technology and artificial intelligence, machinery has become into objects of great intelligence which humans use for help in search of further knowledge. Even though machines do not have emotions, reason or perception with the increase in the intelligence of machinery it is no surprise if these ways of knowing will be a part of modern machinery in the near future.

Kunal Gokal

Word Count – 1,244

1 Definition of ‘know’ in the Oxford English Dictionary

2 Definition of ‘machine’ in the Oxford English Dictionary

3 Definition of ‘artificial intelligence’ (or AI) courtesy of