What do humans mean when they say they know something? In the common scheme of things, they mean that they have learned some facts about a particular subject. In addition, they mean that they are satisfied that they have an understanding of the sources, relationships, and significance of that subject. If that is all knowing means, then machines could also have the capacity to know. However, knowledge, a human capability, is based on learned facts, experiences, judgments, growth, change, interactions, and other active processes. The concept of knowing requires the description, consideration, and application of a multifaceted process lacking rigid rules, goals, and boundaries. None of these attributes are available to a machine, so a machine's capabilities would not constitute the requirements for a machine to know.
If knowledge is fact based, then a machine can know. Because machines have the power to reproduce material stored in their memory, it could be said that they know the......
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