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Michael Punt	Darren Stevens
Friday 19th February 2003

 

Is the Turning’s ‘Universal Turing Machine’ an Existentialist machine ?

 

In answering this question I will focus on three areas of Existentialism in view to the Universal Turing Machine, the three areas being:

Existence precedes essence,

Determinism and free will,

Anguish and authenticity.

Following from the three areas, I wish to illustrate that the Universal Turing Machine is not an Existentialist machine being that it’s essence precedes it existence, lacks free will and fails to authenticate itself.

 

 

Existence precedes essence

Does the ‘Universal Turning Machine’ (UTM) exist? The UTM was never conceived to actually exist in the physical sense but purely in theory, though at the atomic level, the paper tape, reading, processing and output are such as to be fully realized[1]. The theoretical design and essence in this case has preceded the existence (physical) of the machine, it was predefined to fulfil the role of logical human thought[2].

 

Today there are UTM’s readily available online for quick and easy download, you can find turning machines in every three stage procedural machine – input, process and output – though their fate has been predetermined. The UTM can be altered to process through differing ‘Table of behaviours’[3], but the essence of the machine remains within the three stages.

 

‘The individual creates his/her self by making self-directed choices’[4]

 

Turning followed a personal philosophy of atheism and the conviction that all phenomena resulted from a determined materialistic explanation[5]. From this basis machines lacked any mind or consciousness, machines therefore are unable to define themselves, create their own essence, or authenticate themselves. In this sense the UTM has a predefined nature dependent on the creator or the end user, both being self-conscious, man is now placed in to the position of God the ‘cosmic designer’[6].

 

The lack of self consciousness defines it’s lack of self essence for the UTM is in no way searching for it’s meaning, it is a slave to the user and the programmer.

 

 

Determinism and free will

Turing argument for the UTM was to ‘mimic human reasoning’[7]. To a certain extent this is an accomplishable concept as long as human reasoning follows a set predefined objective course without alteration. In this case human reasoning can be analogous to mathematical computational algorithms.

 

In consequence from the Turing concept of human reasoning it can be seen that decision making for Turing followed a rational objective and clearly defined route lacking any aspect of the subjective intuitive mind.

 

It is contentious though to base the idea of human reasoning on clear and definable variables and so allow for a UTM to mimic the human mind. Can it be truly discovered the combined total number of variables that are considered in any human decision, be them conscious or sub-conscious variables? In what part of a decision is the mind following conscious or sub conscious thoughts?

 

Quantitative decision making then yes, for this follows from a logical basis of mathematics.

Qualitative decision making would be questionable, for how do you decide on quality and value from a non-numerical basis unless through strict adherence to pre-established definitions.

 

Human reasoning through Existentialism is deemed to follow ‘Free Will’, there being no determinates that completely affect any decision that a human makes. The UTM is a machine that can only follow predefined ‘Tables of behaviour’[8], from the maker or the user, which designate to the UTM how to process the input and produce the output. These behaviours can be changed to suit the task at hand, but in no way can the UTM waver from the pre established route in hand. In this sense the tables of behaviour are akin to computer software of today. From this position the UTM cannot independently decide for itself either through programming or self-consciousness, the UTM is unaware of itself or that it exist.

 

Programming by it’s definition is the writing of circuits and gates through a digital form allowing differing processes to be accomplished depending on the input. Following the UTM necessity to follow this programming, the UTM is pre-determined, it’s output can be fully checked and predicted by a human.

 

Defining the element of reasoning in a human mind is the key to this issue at hand in terms of Turing’s mimicry.

 

 

Anguish and authenticity

Being that the UTM has no consciousness and is not autonomous and able to take decisions for itself it is not compelled to make future directed choices, allowing pre-defined procedures, it follows that the UTM has no anguish or uncertainty from its pre-determined decisions - or the idea of it’s decisions - in their future outcome. The UTM is deemed to follow social expectations and has been relinquished of any responsibility for it’s choices and is henceforth acting in ‘bad faith’[9].

 

The UTM takes no responsibility for itself or it’s output, for the UTM has no understanding of it’s existence, through lack of consciousness, for the UTM is composed of inanimate materials and forces blindly interacting. In given that the UTM takes no responsibility for it’s decision, it follows that the UTM has no authenticity for it does not define itself but is defined following the choices of the programmers and users.

 

In viewing the UTM as an Existentialist machine, it may be better to purely conceive it as a tool for the alteration of one state to another.

 

 

 

In summary, the UTM lacks any self-consciousness and so is unable, as with existentialism, to both define and henceforth authenticate itself.

Considering how the UTM follows tables of behaviour initiated by the programmer, the UTM has no free will and is determined. And it’s theoretical essence precedes it’s existence given that it has a creator, Turing himself.

In view to the above arguments I have attempted to illustrate the differences between that of the philosophical movement of Existentialism and the Turing Universal Machine.