I was just taking a piss, and had a pretty interesting thought progression.
Basically, I really feel like I'm beginning to get a handle on my own personal philosophy that I find internally consistent with itself (that's known as integrity people!).
I'd go into detail, but it's 7am, and I've been up forever, and I've still got code (VB6! Aarrrgh! END THE MADNESS!!!) to be writing.
James says to John: “Charity is good.”
John hears: “James wishes me to believe that he presently believes that what he considers charity is in the best interests of his purpose as an individual to fulfill his part in the goal of perpetuating humanity.”
John.
p.s. I reckon the first steps to building a sentient machine would be to construct an internally consistent philosophy that catered for language and purpose. The reason that you need to define purpose, is that it is a premise for language (whether humans consciously acknowledge it or not, they speak because they are trying to survive).
No wonder I'm so often accused of being too verbose!