# Can Thermostats Have Beliefs by John McCarthy > "Machines as simple as thermostats can be said to have beliefs." > **— John McCarthy**, *Attributed in AI philosophy discussions; primary source pending* Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: Attributed in AI philosophy discussions; primary source pending. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Article:** [[articles/Escape Hatch in the Skull|Escape Hatch in the Skull]] - **Article:** [[articles/Science of Digital Consciousness|Science of Digital Consciousness]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Third Possibility|The Third Possibility]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - [[wiki/Consciousness|Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Consciousness Indicators|Consciousness Indicators]] - [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Hard Problem of Consciousness|Hard Problem of Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Digital Minds|Digital Minds]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "Machines as simple as thermostats can be said to have beliefs." — John McCarthy, Attributed in AI philosophy discussions; primary source pending https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-john-mccarthy-thermostats-beliefs ```