Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!goanna!minyos!monu6!sci240s From: sci240s@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au (mr w.j. ho) Newsgroups: comp.ai.neural-nets Subject: Re: Postulates on the number of neurons Message-ID: <1990Dec12.093902.15052@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au> Date: 12 Dec 90 09:39:02 GMT References: <1990Dec11.040646.20760@noose.ecn.purdue.edu> <1990Dec11.174921.26838@cs.columbia.edu> Organization: Caulfield Campus, Monash University, Melb., Australia. Lines: 35 bellido@boromir.world (Ignacio Bellido) writes: >In article <1990Dec11.174921.26838@cs.columbia.edu>, >fahn@hudson.columbia.edu (Paul Fahn) writes: >>It seems to me that (computer-based) neural net researchers too often >>presume that biological organization is somehow optimal. It may be that >>the brain represents an enormous waste of resources, and that >>"intelligent behavior" can be achieved with far fewer neurons, if only >>they were organized more "intelligently". (or, equivalently, that higher >>intelligence could be achieved with the same number of neurons.) >> >>We should definitely look at biological nets for ideas, but in a very >>critical way, and be prepared to reject anything found in the biological >>realm. > Let's see, I believe that biological organization IS optimal >taken acount of it's path, I mean, the selections made along the >evolution, the advantage of biological optimization is a lot of million >years over us (we just learned some years ago that the brain has cells >and that they are independent elements), and a very big number of >choices to select and eliminate on this time. May be another choice some >millions years ago could have boosted another race to be intelligent >with less amount of neurons better organized, but we will never know, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ less robust too ( more susceptible to neuron degradation ) ? Does not offer "as graceful degradation as it is now" ? >and I don't think so. -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ Wey Jing Ho Tel: 61-3-5732567 E-mail : sci240s@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au ^ ^ Physics Dept., Monash University ( Caulfield Campus ), Melbourne, AUSTRALIA ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^