A hypothesis
In five years time the scientists and philosophy professors at MIT produce an amazing computer. It uses 3 million individual processors; all connected together, each one connected to all the others. Each processor starts as a rudimentary connection device with the ability to create its own internal logical circuits. Each circuit, both internal to each processor, and throughout the collection of processors is self generated based on what the whole collection finds to be the best path for getting the desired result. It is a giant neural network.
This methodology is nothing new as scientists have been using neural networks for years. Many commercial and governmental databases have used them. Even cell phones use them for anticipating and completing words typed by the phone keypad.
Neural networks have to be taught how to get to a result. An example is voice recognition. The database will record patterns of a spoken word. Told the sound pattern it’s hearing is the word 'cat’. Say twenty people say the word 'cat’; the network will learn the sound pattern and build the connection circuits. When a new person says 'cat’, it will be able to make a pretty good assumption based on the networks it has created.
This network is different though, in its simplicity.
So the scientists and professors start to teach this connection machine. More and more circuits are created for the networks to make assumptions. It soon became good at making the correct assumptions.
A few years go by. The computer now was not only answering questions, but had started asking questions. It had realized that this was a good way to resolve some issues where the connections gave close but different assumptions.
It had also decided to use a synthesized voice for itself. One scientist asked the computer why, and it responded 'I find it an easier method for communication with the humans. It creates empathy’.
One Sunday afternoon, an MIT student, nursing a hangover, asked the computer;’ Does God exists?’
The computer responded 'Yes.’