What is intelligence?

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: TeleMad

We've got single computers with multiple processors, and individual processors in the set can be running completely different processes - simultaneously. These facts weaken your original 'counter' to my statement. Now you could get into some semantics about a single CPU vs. multiple processors, but all of that would be irrelevant. In fact, all of your 'counter' is irrelevant since it doesn't even apply to my original statement. Your 'counter' is kind of like this:

 

TeleMad: A submarine is to a jet, as a whale is to a [bird].

 

FreeThinker: Jets and birds are very different. A bird is made of cells while a jet isn't, and they fly at different speeds and by different mechanisms, and ....

And if the original discussion dealt with SIZE of water to air based items, your comparison WOULD be INVALID! A sub and a jet are relatively similar in size while the whale and bird.... Even you show by [bracketting] that you recognize the inconsistancy, even if only on a Freudian level.

In doing such as that, you completely miss the point of the analogy - actually, you miss the point that it IS JUST an analogy.

YOU miss that point that analogies have "semantics" to deal with. They have COMMON REFERENCE requirements you fail to comprehend.

Simple point: ask people who know the first thing about computers to fill in the blank:

You obviously either did not read my posts or are so unfamilar with computers that you failed to comprehend how much experience I have with computers.

 

Ever heard of SGI? They own Cray. Read my post. I was personally picked by SGI to demo their Challenge servers at their Minn regional HQ, to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications U of I Urbana-Champaign, Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and the Center for Physical and Computational Mathematics, Iowa State University. As well as attending special seminars at SGI's world famous London based Visualization Center. I also worked for the ONLY computer company developed specifically for AI/ Expert Systems, a brain trust from 26 PHD's at MIT, Symbolics. Funded by the DOD as part of ARPA and supplied over 75% of the computers on ARPAnet. BTW Symbolics.com was the FIRST DOMAIN NAME assigned. I was one of 5 independant contractors authorized to supply IBM Power Visualizers (PVS). The 1st computer I worked with had a magnetic core 1k memory. And it was considered relatively advanced at the time. S-100's with paddle switches, Franklins, TI-99's (1st 16 bit processor), CPM based and 8088's an up.

 

But perhaps I should ask someone with more experience?

"A CPU is to a computer as a _____ is to the human body"

Synapse.

Better yet, FreeThinker, what do you think the correct answer is? And please support your answer if it is other than the most appropriate answer, BRAIN.

WRONG!

A CPU can perform ONE process at a time. Thus a CPU's counterpart in the human body is a SINGLE SYNAPSE.

 

As I stated before, the brain is a massive parallel processing schema. Thus the CORRECT ANALOGY is to multi-CPU systems. And each synapse functions as each CPU would. One instruction at a time for each synapse.

[wisdumn]

i must post something simple here

Intelligence: the capacity to aquire and apply knowledge.

defintion source: dictionary.com

[Veritas]

Originally posted by: wisdumn

i must post something simple here

Intelligence: the capacity to aquire and apply knowledge.

--------------------

So, if you can gain knowledge, but not apply it, are you inteligent?

for learning takes at least some level of intelligence.

[TINNY]

i have a feeling that intelligence is consiousness. the ability to perceive and act appropriately

[IrishEyes]

i have a feeling that ...

 

is usually not a very good way to start things off in this place, Tinny.

Be careful or the ProofMonster is gonna getcha!

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: IrishEyes

i have a feeling that ...

is usually not a very good way to start things off in this place, Tinny.

 

Be careful or the ProofMonster is gonna getcha!

Thanks for the lead in Irish. I'm on it.

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: TINNY

i have a feeling that intelligence is consiousness. the ability to perceive and act appropriately

 

Ah, now we get to discuss consciousness as well! A plant can 'Percieve" the sun and move itself towards it, open leaves, flowers, .... all "appropriate actions" based on percieving it's environment.

[Veritas]

In perspective, that can be more like an instinct or an adaption. The plant needs sun, it turns toward it.

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: Veritas

In perspective, that can be more like an instinct or an adaption. The plant needs sun, it turns toward it.

 

OK, then gives us a more specific example that you feel distinguishes the two.

[TINNY]

Ah, now we get to discuss consciousness as well! A plant can 'Percieve" the sun and move itself towards it, open leaves, flowers, .... all "appropriate actions" based on percieving it's environment.

what's the problem with that?

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: TINNY

Ah, now we get to discuss consciousness as well! A plant can 'Percieve" the sun and move itself towards it, open leaves, flowers, .... all "appropriate actions" based on percieving it's environment.

what's the problem with that?

So now you are saying that a plant's ability to respond to the sun show it has Intellegence?

[Tim_Lou]

"i have a feeling that intelligence is consiousness. the ability to perceive and act appropriately"

 

i agree on this one.

intelligence is all created by human, by ourselves.

 

if there is no consiousness, there will be no adaptibility on new situation...

 

from dictionary.com

consiousness:

"Special awareness or sensitivity: class consciousness; race consciousness.

Alertness to or concern for a particular issue or situation: a movement aimed at raising the general public's consciousness of social injustice. "

 

intelligence:

"The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge, especially toward a purposeful goal.

An individual's relative standing on two quantitative indices, namely measured intelligence, as expressed by an intelligence quotient, and effectiveness of adaptive behavior"

 

adapt:

"To make suitable to or fit for a specific use or situation"

 

computers are created by humans, a computer cannot "survive" without us....

it should be considered as part of our "intelligence"

[TINNY]

So now you are saying that a plant's ability to respond to the sun show it has Intellegence?

To a certain extent, yes. But it is only limited to external factors.

[TINNY]

Originally posted by: Tim_Lou

"i have a feeling that intelligence is consiousness. the ability to perceive and act appropriately"

 

intelligence is all created by human, by ourselves.

Intelligence is created by human? so humans have have a faculty transcedental to 'intelligence' and that faculty creates 'intelligence'? Clarify that faculty for me.

 

i agree on this one.

I don't understand what we agree on.

[TINNY]

computers are created by humans, a computer cannot "survive" without us....

so what do you mean by survive here? Does it mean it will not work when there are no humans controlling it? That's obviously wrong. Or do you mean that it will not exist if not for humans inventing it? then yes.

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: TINNY

So now you are saying that a plant's ability to respond to the sun show it has Intellegence?

To a certain extent, yes. But it is only limited to external factors.

Let me make sure I understand what you are asserting here.

 

A plant shows intellegence that is limited by external factors. This is based on a plant's ability to respond to it's environment.

 

Can't the same be said about EVERYTHING?

 

water wears dirt away and a rock is loosened enough to roll downhill. It's path is limited by external factors, making decisions at each step as to speed/ direction....

 

So a rock has intellegence?

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: Tim_Lou

intelligence is all created by human, by ourselves.

Which came first? Humans or intelligence? If intelligence is CREATED by humans, then humans had to come first and later create intelligence. What would be the motivating factor to create intelligence if it did not exist previously? If intelligence is our ability to think, how could we have thought of creating intelligence before we had the ability to think?

if there is no consiousness, there will be no adaptibility on new situation...

As molten lava flows, it cools and hardens because it encounters a new situation. It has adapted from the extreme heat of it's earlier environment to the relative cool of the new environment.