If you're willing to accept a (possible) inexplicable intelligence that cannot explain its decisions or reasoning processes then you'd be fine w/o symbolism. In

If you're willing to accept a (possible) inexplicable intelligence that cannot explain its decisions or reasoning processes then you'd be fine w/o symbolism. In fact there may be an example for you (perhaps in your pocket): The next time you have a decision to make, phrase it as a Heads/Tails question and flip a coin. Over its time of use, the coin will be right until it is wrong, putting you in exactly the same situation as you would be with an inexplicable intelligence. So you see, intelligence is not that far away! But explicable predictive intelligence requires reasoned prediction and can answer "Why that prediction?" when asked and can learn if a prediction fails. The coin cannot but will be adequate, at least until it fails sufficiently to induce you to abandon it.