Part of AI lore is John McCarthy's
equestrian metaphor: AI split atop the backs of two racing horses,
one of the connectionist breed, the
other of the logicist. This view presupposes that the two animals
are galloping down the same
track. But are they?
Not by our lights. The connectionist horse, no matter how
fast it reaches
the finish line, will lose -- because its course,
unlike its rival's, has next to nothing
to do with scientific progress on the question of how we manage to
do what we do. Let us explain.