Page 68 - Studio International - March 1974

such looseness of thought. Indeed, for anyone translated more or less precisely into another of knowledge and experience', which would be
not up in the 'literature' it is essential reading language, a repertoire of terms and much more rewarding.
before tackling the Science Research Council's prescriptions for their uses, or even a language One other point arises from these books,
`Artificial Intelligence' to which five eminent has at least one native speaker who the ideological aspects of science as a mask to
scientists have contributed. The problem that consequently doesn't make mistakes. obscure the relations to production, to the
emerges (apart from any justification of One is grateful, therefore, to Professor economic base. For this reason Rose's and
Professor Lighthill's categories, the ABC of Longuet Higgins in the Science Research Campbell's sturdy refusal of the mind-matter
Artificial Intelligence where A is advanced Council's paper symposium. He clarifies the dichotomy is of positive value, even though
automation, C computer-based studies related distinctions between technologies and sciences Professor Ayer's doubts have not yet found an
to the Central Nervous System, and B 'Bridge in the field, and, further, the important answer; and Goodman's, not so subtle at that,
activity' between the two including 'Building distinction between what may be learned from discussion of much so-called avant garde shows
Robots') is : do we know what intelligence is in the hardware and what from the software. that the idiotic gesture is 'co-opted as the
order to be able to prescribe artificial Steven Rose seems to miss this point in his idiotic standard' and becomes, as Marcuse
intelligence ? Rose makes short work of Jensen condemnation, a shade too indiscriminate and pointed out, one of the means whereby
and even shorter of Eysenck. 'Perhaps what is wholesale, of what he deliberately consumer society ensures that all art is
surprising', he writes, 'is not that computers outrageously calls the `machinomorphs'. To be commodity. It is surely not an accident that so
have done so well in only three generations, but sure, the pseudo-science of robotics does much pop art adores the supermarket, and that
that they have done so poorly, that despite indeed smack of science fiction and the worst those who most denounce the commercialism
intensive research efforts (and large defence excesses of pop culture, its fascist side, its of the galleries have set out to exploit the media.
research grants) machine translation is still so unidimensionalism. However, to return to
primitive and unsatisfactory; that machine Professor Longuet-Higgins, artificial TONI DEL RENZIO
literature searching is of little value except to intelligence 'sets new standards of precision and
the most routine types of chemical and detail in the formulation of models of cognitive
pharmacological research, and has scarcely processes, these models being open to direct and Pet themes
any utility to the creative work of more serious immediate test'. One is reminded of Charles Woman as Sex Object: Studies in Erotic Art,
sciences; that chess and draughts are the extent Eames, long ago giving the RIBA annual 1730-1970, edited by Thomas B. Hess and
of a computer's capacity. It has not yet been discourse in which he described his experience Linda Nochlin. 257 pp, illustrated in black and
suggested that a computer could learn to play as a consultant to the Indian government. white and colour. Allen Lane, London. £6.00.
adequate poker.' Perhaps Cybernetic Serendipity The Indians were in no position to invest in a
really is the height to which the computer can massive computer. Eames told them to build a his impossible to walk through a major art
rise, and perhaps it deserves this fate worse mock-up with dials and flashing lights, spewing gallery without feeling that only the most
than death. out punched tape or what you will, since ninety extraordinary process of doublethink and
Dr Campbell's 'The Pleasure Areas' ought to per cent of solving a problem by computer is in hypocrisy could have allowed princes and popes
be of greater interest in the art context than it the programming and in the analysis of the to display such oil paintings on their walls. The
turns out to be. He probes, at times in a very problem. poor man, it seems, may have his dirty
literal manner, the dark and primitive pleasure- Further, in the context of recent art experience postcards, but the rich man has art. The nudes
seeking folds of the brain, but appears unable and theorizing, Professor Longuet-Higgins on gaze out at the implied male spectator with
to comment meaningfully upon the cognitive science becomes particularly inviting and submissive eyes; the figures pose
devenustate art of the present. However, like interesting. He refers to the 'general problems' under a variety of classical or biblical names but
Rose, he sees mind-matter dualism as, at best, to be met in the different areas. 'The the intention is always the same, sexual arousal
trivial, and, at worst, an impediment to any mathematician's ability to discover a theorem, posing under the cultural name of Beauty or
understanding of how the brain works. the formulation of a strategy in master chess, Humanism. Although conservative critics are
In one way, Paul Goodman might be read as the interpretation of a visual field as a landscape still able to see the nude in such terms, most of
the antithesis of these authors, but this would with three cows and a cottage, the feat of hearing us now look for the giveaway symptoms; the
misrepresent his ideas even more than theirs. what someone says at a cocktail party and the pose of the female figure, her expression, the
And his book serves to call into discourse a triumph of reading one's aunt's handwriting', conspicuous lack of body hair which denotes
theme common to them all, the theme raised he writes, 'all seem to involve the same general passivity, and — most shockingly obvious in
above, language and what we mean by the term. skill, namely the ability to integrate in a flash a pictures painted during the period covered by
It is central to his book. It is central to the major wide range of knowledge and experience'. He this book — the nudity of the female figure
debates taking place in all the arts, and possibly concludes with a warning that if advanced juxtaposed with fully dressed males (Manet's
sciences. The problems have not been solved by automation is allowed to go its own way, the Picnic is the most notorious example).
the use of alternative, more abstract or more `resulting spin-off' is more likely to inflict These are the kind of significant details which
generalized terms, nor, for that matter, by those multiple injuries on human society'. Yet, of should be covered in a book of this kind but are,
we might have thought more rigorous, more course, every declared policy of the government for the most part, lacking. Instead we have a
particular, more quantifiable and therefore is to stress the purely technological advances rather odd collection of individual essays by a
more scientific and objective. at the expense of general theoretical and variety of authors apparently airing themselves
To begin with, we still haven't really managed necessarily more humane priorities. on a pet theme without firm editorial guidance
a foolproof definition, or, to put it another way, The distinction between the generalizing or an introductory essay which might have put
we can manage definitions which are either theories of cognitive science and the merely the rest of the contributions in historical
consistent and exclusive to the point of technological achievement of advanced perspective. Nor is there any relationship
omitting some obvious 'languages', or so automation, is one that seems to have been between the importance of the topic to space
inclusive that they let in examples of what are ignored by those who have sought to introduce provided. Thus we have a psycho-analytic study
obviously not languages. Even in the limited these ideas into art. Often all that they introduce of Renoir's male chauvinism which is highly
case of natural languages 'naturally verbal' is is the mystification of jargon and a caricature of pertinent to the understanding of his pictures
difficult to define, and, in fact, we have to technology. The fact remains that aesthetics but disappointingly brief, and an essay entitled
content ourselves with some unsatisfactory could well confront the sort of question raised `The Corset as Erotic Alchemy' which is
descriptions, like, say, a language is what can be by 'the ability to integrate in a flash a wide range tediously long and largely irrelevant, since it is

154