Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!usc!ucla-cs!uci-ics!zardoz!tgate!ka3ovk!drilex!axiom!linus!mbunix!bwk
From: bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: Re: Turing Test and Subject Bias
Summary: Comments on Intelligence.
Keywords: Intelligence, Ideas, Problem Solving, Thinking
Message-ID: <58052@linus.UUCP>
Date: 29 Jun 89 16:49:48 GMT
References: <3039@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> <1174@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> <3075@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> <56041@linus.UUCP> <3118@crete.cs.glasgow.ac
Sender: news@linus.UUCP
Reply-To: bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort)
Organization: Electronic Peaceware Project
Lines: 69

In article <3118@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk> gilbert@cs.glasgow.ac.uk
(Gilbert Cockton) writes:

 > In article <56041@linus.UUCP> bwk@mbunix (Barry Kort) writes:

 > > Perhaps I am a bit perverted, but, when *I* use the word,
 > > "intelligence", I mean "the ability to think and solve problems".

 > Wow, that's tight!  What if I can only solve some of your problems?
 > What if I'm brilliant at some, and moderate at others?

Then you have a mixed score on the intelligence vector.

Incidently, Intelligence includes the ability to learn, discover,
and create.  One can learn a specific method appropriate to an
unfamiliar class of problems, or one can devise a novel method
to solve a new class of problems.

 > We can talk of intelligent behaviour (nearly always post-hoc), but
 > never general intelligence - this was backed up by the psychometric
 > work too, although that 'G' factor didn't always factor out.  'G' could
 > be perceptual speed, confidence, insight, what have you, but it in no
 > way guarantees success at an arbitrary problem.
  
The best method I know of for solving the arbitrary problem is the
Socratic Method.  At the very least, it leads one to boundary between
one's knowledge and ignorance.

 > I'd love to staff a MacDonald's for a day completely with MENSA types
 > to see how their IQ scores prepared them for all the problems of
 > fast-food service :-)

I wonder if they would do better than Hamburger Helpers staffing
our universities and think tanks.

 > > I define a "problem" as "an undesired state of affairs for which
 > > an appropriate idea has not yet been generated or agreed upon."

 > Subjective, moral?  Will AI solve all the world's problems?
  
I imagine there will be some teamwork between silicon-based systems
and carbon-based systems.

 > > I define "idea" as "a possibility for changing the state of affairs."

 > Thus many ideas aren't.
  
In the Calculus of Ideas, the goal is to generate and select the ideas
which, when applied to the Real World, successfully transform us from
the Present State to the Goal State.  If our World Models are sufficiently
accurate, we stand a chance of achieving this level of competence.  

 > > I define "thinking" as "a rational form of information processing
 > > which reduces the entropy or uncertainty of a knowledge base, generates
 > > solutions to outstanding problems, and conceives goal-oriented courses
 > > of action."

 > And thus much brain life isn't thinking.
  
Correct.  By antonymy, I define "worrying" as an emotional form of
information processing which fails to reduce the entropy or uncertainty
of a knowledge base, fails to generate solutions to outstanding problems,
or fails to conceive goal-oriented courses of action.

 > What else do you want to proscribe?

Domestic violence, state terrorism, and child abuse.

--Barry Kort