how do neural networks learn? is it by intelligence and will? no, it's by backpropagation. error is propagated and minimized. simple equations lead to emergent

how do neural networks learn? is it by intelligence and will? no, it's by backpropagation. error is propagated and minimized. simple equations lead to emergent complexity. canyons form as water follows paths of least resistance, and incrementally erode rock. the water doesn't use its intelligence and will to construct a canal, even though the resulting river system looks like a max flow solution. the intelligence and will emerges from the math. simple systems with enough feedback can become very sophisticated.