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From: ANDREWS%EAR@AMES-IO.ARPA
Newsgroups: mod.ai
Subject: Conservation Laws for Thought???  (AIList Digest V4 #170)
Message-ID: <8607221722.AA04504@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Mon, 21-Jul-86 16:05:55 EDT
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Posted: Mon Jul 21 16:05:55 1986
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In his July 16 missive on Life, Intelligence, and Creativity definitions,
Larry makes a statement (highlighted below in upper case) which is quite
provocative to a mechanical engineer like myself. 

> "Creativity" is a particular kind of intelligence. It can be recognized by its
> products: ideas, actions, or objects that did not exist before.  ...
> Obviously, these new things don't appear from nowhere.  THERE ARE CONSERVATION
> LAWS IN THOUGHT AS WELL AS IN PHYSICS (THOUGH VERY DIFFERENT ONES).  

Have I missed something somewhere?  If there are "thought conservation laws", 
could someone please provide me with some references?  And if nothing has been 
documented, could someone please fill me in?  I understand the concept of 
conservation of mass and energy (what goes in - what comes out = increase in 
amount stored), and the "bookkeeping" associated with entropy production,
transfer, and storage, but I have never heard of an application of those ideas 
to human thought.  I'm undecided about whether to be excited or depressed.  
Help!

Alison Andrews
NASA Ames Research Center
andrews%ear@ames-io.arpa