Claim mdvw - A device can view human mind

The Claim

Before 2025:

1. A mindviewing device can detect the processing of the human mind.
2. The device helps us understand most of the sentence of mind in brain.
3. The device is approved by most scientists.

Judge's Statement

I will judge this claim primarily on wording and secondarily on my perception of the author's intent. Based on those criteria, I interpret the wording and intent of the claim to mean the following:

1. "A mindviewing device can detect the processing of the human mind."

   An existing, artificial, device can detect the information flow and transformations within the human mind. Detecting electrochemical activity is not sufficient; the device must identify the information that is being signaled and transformed.

   Detecting and interpreting the effect of the mind on body systems outside the skull, for example detecting subvocalizations or increased perspiration, does not satisfy the claim.

   The invasiveness of the device is not an issue. That is, the presence or absence of probes into the skull does not affect the claim.

2. "The device helps us understand most of the sentence of mind in brain."

   The device can identify most of a sentence that a subject has in mind. That is, if the subject is thinking "I wish I had a green apple.", the machine will enable a researcher to identify most of the sentence. A positive claim requires positive results on a satisfactory experiment. Such an experiment has the following attributes:

   • The corpus of sentences may not be fixed; subjects may produce arbitrary sentences, on any subject matter.
   • Subjects may not be trained. That is, performance after learning how to "think properly" does not apply. The device may be calibrated to individuals, but subjects may receive no feedback during (or after) calibration.
   • The unit of measure is morphemes, not surface words. (A morpheme is a linguistic term describing an indivisible unit of meaning. For example, "went" is "go" + past tense.) This clause has the effect of making the definition of "word" moot and the experiment relatively independent of the subjects' native languages.
   • Over the course of an experiment of at least 20 sentences for each of 20 subjects, the researchers must identify the majority of morphemes in the subjects' sentences.

   Note that the claim is specific to the recognition of sentences, and does not address the recognition of concepts. A device that can infer what a subject will do, but not what the subject will say does not satisfy the claim.

3. "The device is approved by most scientists."

   More scientists assert that the device is effective in achieving points one and two of the claim than assert the device is not effective. The scientists making assertions are the authors of all relevant peer-reviewed articles published within an arbitrary four-year period containing at least five articles.

   The ethics of the invention or use of the device are not an issue. That is, disapproval of the majority of scientists of the use of the device does not affect the claim.

In the event that both wording and intent are ambiguous, I will look for a solution which follows IF/FX precedent insofar as such precedent is apparent to me and applicable to the claim.

The Market

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