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  3. So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence."

So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence."

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  • realn2s@infosec.exchangeR realn2s@infosec.exchange

    @futurebird
    The funny thing is that human innovation often starts with "the wrong way"

    E.g. the discovery of x-rays by the accidental x-ray of Wilhelm Röntgens wife Anna Bertha Ludwig's hand .

    Or the discovery of penicillin through an contaminated sample

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    ryencode@mstdn.caR This user is from outside of this forum
    ryencode@mstdn.caR This user is from outside of this forum
    ryencode@mstdn.ca
    wrote last edited by
    #26

    @realn2s @futurebird
    The Heretics had not always been villains. Rather seen as essential Different Thinkers and Questioners of the accepted truths.
    We've lost sight of the value in examining "truth" derived from tradition. (Not to be confused with rejection of one with blind accept of an alternative)

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    • threesigma@mastodon.onlineT This user is from outside of this forum
      threesigma@mastodon.onlineT This user is from outside of this forum
      threesigma@mastodon.online
      wrote last edited by
      #27

      @FediThing @futurebird

      Do they make interesting decisions? Arguably not: given any choice they will reliably do the thing that maximizes their power and wealth. I doubt any take risks for ethics or well-being of others.

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      • futurebird@sauropods.winF futurebird@sauropods.win

        @mahryekuh

        I think that's part of it. Although what keeps me up at night is thinking about the ease with which ants will abandon a bad but popular path for a shorter more effective one.

        You will never have an ant who is saying "but this is the way my older sister went, you insult her memory by not using her path, she suffered so much" or "that ant who found the new shorter path thinks she's better than me, lets get rid of her and the path this is so embarrassing."

        I hope.

        llewelly@sauropods.winL This user is from outside of this forum
        llewelly@sauropods.winL This user is from outside of this forum
        llewelly@sauropods.win
        wrote last edited by
        #28

        @futurebird @mahryekuh avoiding bad attractors like cars, amazon (the online purchasing scam), cryptocurrency, and covid-19 has made me terribly unpopular. More importantly, it has cost me jobs, which has led to homelessness. And don't even get me started on how medical insurers and education systems pummel people who avoid bad attractors like cars with hatred and abuse. Nothing is more unamerican than avoiding bad attractors.

        zdl@mstdn.socialZ 1 Reply Last reply
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        • futurebird@sauropods.winF futurebird@sauropods.win

          So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

          Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

          * Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
          * Is a billionaire intelligent?
          * Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

          gclef@social.vivaldi.netG This user is from outside of this forum
          gclef@social.vivaldi.netG This user is from outside of this forum
          gclef@social.vivaldi.net
          wrote last edited by
          #29

          @futurebird

          Intelligence is asking questions.

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          • futurebird@sauropods.winF futurebird@sauropods.win

            So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

            Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

            * Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
            * Is a billionaire intelligent?
            * Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

            dalias@hachyderm.ioD This user is from outside of this forum
            dalias@hachyderm.ioD This user is from outside of this forum
            dalias@hachyderm.io
            wrote last edited by
            #30

            @futurebird 1. No.
            2. No.
            3. Intelligence isn't an axis of measurement, it's a qualitative property. So no.

            dalias@hachyderm.ioD 1 Reply Last reply
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            • dalias@hachyderm.ioD dalias@hachyderm.io

              @futurebird 1. No.
              2. No.
              3. Intelligence isn't an axis of measurement, it's a qualitative property. So no.

              dalias@hachyderm.ioD This user is from outside of this forum
              dalias@hachyderm.ioD This user is from outside of this forum
              dalias@hachyderm.io
              wrote last edited by
              #31

              @futurebird Re: 1 & 2, a big part of intelligence is the ability to use reasoning processes to manage consequences. Neither a calculator nor a billionaire experiences consequences so neither can have intelligence.

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              • dahukanna@mastodon.socialD dahukanna@mastodon.social

                @futurebird
                “intelligent” is an adjective categorizing/qualifying a noun & has meaning in an applied context: having or showing high level of intelligence.
                “Intelligence” is a noun, describing a specific ability to acquire knowledge & skills.
                So “intelligent intelligence” implies there is also “unintelligent intelligence” therefore the noun is spectral in nature like light- 😀😆😉😬.

                In general conversation it seems “Intelligence” is being conflated with “genius” I.e. exceptional intelligence.

                dahukanna@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                dahukanna@mastodon.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                dahukanna@mastodon.social
                wrote last edited by
                #32

                @futurebird case in point- “unintelligent intelligence” == fiction

                - https://mstdn.social/@david_colquhoun/116064390958883997

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                • futurebird@sauropods.winF futurebird@sauropods.win

                  That one ant going the "wrong way" isn't less intelligent than the rest. She's an essential part of the system.

                  Because sometimes that ant finds a shortcut. If she finds a shortcut her pheromone path, the passive evidence of her motion, the freshness of the leaf bit she delivers will attract more ants to her path. Quickly, without discussion or resentment, (cough cough) all of the ants switch to the new shorter path.

                  The 'wrong way ants' prevent the ants from being trapped in bad attractors.

                  pizzademon@mastodon.onlineP This user is from outside of this forum
                  pizzademon@mastodon.onlineP This user is from outside of this forum
                  pizzademon@mastodon.online
                  wrote last edited by
                  #33

                  @futurebird https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/536961-the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-the-unreasonable

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                  • futurebird@sauropods.winF futurebird@sauropods.win

                    That one ant going the "wrong way" isn't less intelligent than the rest. She's an essential part of the system.

                    Because sometimes that ant finds a shortcut. If she finds a shortcut her pheromone path, the passive evidence of her motion, the freshness of the leaf bit she delivers will attract more ants to her path. Quickly, without discussion or resentment, (cough cough) all of the ants switch to the new shorter path.

                    The 'wrong way ants' prevent the ants from being trapped in bad attractors.

                    tartley@fosstodon.orgT This user is from outside of this forum
                    tartley@fosstodon.orgT This user is from outside of this forum
                    tartley@fosstodon.org
                    wrote last edited by
                    #34

                    @futurebird I have always assumed this must be my role in society. 😁

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                    • futurebird@sauropods.winF futurebird@sauropods.win

                      So I often come back to the question of defining what we mean by "intelligence." It's pretty easy to get disgusted say it's not even worth trying to define because it is a word used in such inconsistent ways.

                      Intelligence is a positive attribute that describes the decision making capacity and effectiveness.

                      * Is a scientific calculator intelligent?
                      * Is a billionaire intelligent?
                      * Is the largest blue whale the most intelligent animal alive because it has the most brain mass?

                      datenwolf@chaos.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                      datenwolf@chaos.socialD This user is from outside of this forum
                      datenwolf@chaos.social
                      wrote last edited by
                      #35

                      @futurebird

                      For a very long time ( > 15 years) I'm holding the definition of intelligent being

                      The capability for directed & deliberated action toward the goal of overcoming hitherto unknown and untrained for situations/problems with near-optimal effort.

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                      • nigel_lake@mastodon.worldN nigel_lake@mastodon.world

                        @futurebird For me, the line is between clever - someone who knows a lot of things, whether through exceptional memory or a great deal of study - and intelligent - someone who can understand new problems and solve them. Clever is fine for some tasks and hopeless for others. Intelligence is much more flexible - and can seek out the relevant knowledge they don't have.

                        As for the technology equivalent, LLMs are a version of clever, generally minus the awareness of whether they are right or wrong!

                        khleedril@cyberplace.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
                        khleedril@cyberplace.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
                        khleedril@cyberplace.social
                        wrote last edited by
                        #36

                        @Nigel_Lake @futurebird I think you got them the wrong way around. Intelligent means you know lots of stuff (intelligence!), clever means you can work things out.

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                        • llewelly@sauropods.winL llewelly@sauropods.win

                          @futurebird @mahryekuh avoiding bad attractors like cars, amazon (the online purchasing scam), cryptocurrency, and covid-19 has made me terribly unpopular. More importantly, it has cost me jobs, which has led to homelessness. And don't even get me started on how medical insurers and education systems pummel people who avoid bad attractors like cars with hatred and abuse. Nothing is more unamerican than avoiding bad attractors.

                          zdl@mstdn.socialZ This user is from outside of this forum
                          zdl@mstdn.socialZ This user is from outside of this forum
                          zdl@mstdn.social
                          wrote last edited by
                          #37

                          @llewelly @futurebird @mahryekuh I'm curious why you think online purchasing is a scam?

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