2 ms·
The best definition of intelligence I have ever come across (cannot find the reference sadly, maybe I’m paraphrasing here) is “that which you do to keep your op
by qubex 6y ago
The best definition of intelligence I have ever come across (cannot find the reference sadly, maybe I’m paraphrasing here) is “that which you do to keep your options open when you have no experience or training or prior information regarding the circumstances you are currently in”. This will manifest, paradoxically, as a ‘force’.
Thought experiment in order to clarify: how would aliens, staring at our planet for aeons through a telescope, reach the conclusion that there is or is not intelligent life here on Earth? Well... they could observe that on average, historically, about one every hundred million years or so there is a major asteroid impact. They would eventually observe that from some point onwards a larger and larger delay would set in from the last impact and the next, far longer than expected. If they zoomed in they’d notice that somehow asteroids on impact trajectories would be deflected as if by a physical force emanating from the planet.
This would be our descendants, using the amazing technology at their disposal, deflecting asteroids to ensure that the last major extinction level event will be the one that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (and counting). They’d be using their intelligence to keep their options open and avoid being wiped out. They’re exerting a physical force on their environment and clearing the sidereal neighbourhood of dangerous rocks and comets.
Conclusion: intelligence is about perception of data but for the sake of control of the environment. “Data into information”, honestly, is too close to being a truism to be of any utility.
- TheOtherHobbes 6y agoMy working definition is that intelligence is about accurate modelling of the environment, both internal and external. This includes the ability to make accurate predictions about threats and opportunities within the environment, and the likely outcomes of planned actions. The more intelligent an entity is, the more successfully it can generalise from past experience and anticipate and influence future events. This is a completely different definition to plain old IQ test intelligence, which seems to be closer to raw mental agility. I suspect you can score high on mental agility - e.g. figure and number series manipulation - and still have poor applied intelligence. The latter needs the ability to synthesise a range of diverse stimuli, which is not the same as being able to manipulate abstracted symbols with no surrounding context.
- qubex 6y agoOur definitions seem entirely compatible: a more accurate and flexible model will enable greater capacity to face circumstances. A deer perceives risks from predators. We have a totemic fear of predators but also things that are less immediate, some innate (e.g. heights) and some acquired culturally (e.g. radiation). Our broadened threat model protects us from demise in a wider set of circumstances: e.g. deer flock to to the exclusion zone forests near Chernobyl because there;s few predators (including few humans), humans fled from there because they knew or were told by those who knew of the risks of radiation exposure. EDIT: Revised preamble.