LTT: Oron Shagrir - The mathematical objection to artificial (machine) intelligence
Oron Shagrir (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

October 21, 2025, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
The Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh

1117 Cathedral of Learning - 11th Floor
University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh 15260
United States

This will be an accessible event, including organized related activities

This event is available both online and in-person

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University of Pittsburgh

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The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our Lunch Time Talk. Attend in person at 1117 Cathedral of Learning or visit our live stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.

LTT:  Oron Shagrir

Tuesday, October 21st  @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm EST

Title: The mathematical objection to artificial (machine) intelligence

Abstract: 

Alan Turing develops the idea of machine intelligence in a series of lectures and papers between 1947 and 1952. In some of them he addresses the mathematical objection (his term) whose gist is the claim that humans can assert some mathematical truths that exceed the abilities of computing machines. We first ask why Turing took so seriously the mathematical objection. After all, even if some humans surpass machines in their mathematical abilities, this by itself does not undermine the project of machine intelligence. Our answer is that the mathematical objection raises a dilemma with respect to Turing’s core claims about machine intelligence and forces him to relinquish at least one of them. We then clarify and discuss Turing’s reply to the mathematical objection, namely, that the machine that plays against the human in the Turing test is not a static machine but an enhanced machine.

(Joint work with Ben Gershon)

This talk will be available online:

Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/97226295421


YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg

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