Most people think computers will never be able to think. That is, really think. Not now or ever. To be sure, most people also agree that computers can do many things that a person would have to be thinking to do. Then how could a machine seem to think but not actually think? Well, setting aside the question of what thinking actually is, I think that most of us would answer that by saying that in these cases, what the computer is doing is merely a superficial imitation of human intelligence. It has been designed to obey certain simple commands, and then it has been provided with programs composed of those commands. Because of this, the computer has to obey those commands, but without any idea of what's happening

We naturally admire our Einsteins and Beethovens, and wonder if computers ever could create such wondrous theories or symphonies

We shouldn't intimidate ourselves by our admiration of our Beethovens and Einsteins

Do outstanding minds differ from ordinary minds in any special way?