Sterkenburg, Tom F. (2018) Putnam's Diagonal Argument and the Impossibility of a Universal Learning Machine. Erkenntnis.

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Abstract

Putnam construed the aim of Carnap's program of inductive logic as the specification of a "universal learning machine," and presented a diagonal proof against the very possibility of such a thing. Yet the ideas of Solomonoff and Levin lead to a mathematical foundation of precisely those aspects of Carnap’s program that Putnam took issue with, and in particular, resurrect the notion of a universal mechanical rule for induction.

In this paper, I take up the question whether the Solomonoff–Levin proposal is successful in this respect. I expose the general strategy to evade Putnam's argument, leading to a broader discussion of the outer limits of mechanized induction. I argue that this strategy ultimately still succumbs to diagonalization, reinforcing Putnam’s impossibility claim.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Sterkenburg, Tom F. tom.sterkenburg@lmu.de 0000-0002-4860-727X
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Computation/Information General Issues > Confirmation/Induction
Depositing User:	Mr Tom Sterkenburg
Date Deposited:	11 Oct 2018 17:22
Last Modified:	11 Oct 2018 17:22
Item ID:	15137
Journal or Publication Title:	Erkenntnis
DOI or Unique Handle:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-018-9975-x
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Computation/Information General Issues > Confirmation/Induction
Date:	2018
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/15137

Available Versions of this Item

• Putnam's Diagonal Argument and the Impossibility of a Universal Learning Machine. (deposited 16 May 2016 15:52)
  • Putnam's Diagonal Argument and the Impossibility of a Universal Learning Machine. (deposited 06 Jan 2017 14:52)
    • Putnam's Diagonal Argument and the Impossibility of a Universal Learning Machine. (deposited 11 Oct 2018 17:22) [Currently Displayed]

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