Some questions to ponder when reading Galatea 2.2

• How do the ideas that we have discussed in class arise in the book? Specifically: think about the book's views as to what a computer's place is in our (anthropomorphic) evolutionary ladder and whether or not humans are machines.


• What is the import of the Turing Test in the book? Does the book make the case that the Turing Test or a version thereof is an effective means for determining whether an entity is intelligent? What sort of variants of the Turing Test might the book be proposing?


• In what ways does communication via natural language play important roles in the book?


• Why do you think the author chooses to name the characters and locations the way he does?


• Who is "Galatea" and why is that name part of the book's title? And why "2.2"?