jimlynch%nswc-wo@sri-unix.UUCP (11/18/83)
From: Jim Lynch <jimlynch@nswc-wo>
I have enjoyed the continuing discussion concerning the definition of
intelligence and would only add a few thoughts.
1. I tend to agree with Minsky that intelligence is a social concept,
but I believe that it is probably even more of an emotional one. Intelligence
seems to fall in the same category with notions such as beauty, goodness,
pleasant, etc. These concepts are personal, intensely so, and difficult to
describe, especially in any sort of quantitative terms.
2. A good part of the difficulty with defining Artificial Intelligence is
due, no doubt, to a lack of a good definition for intelligence. We probablyy
cannot define AI until the psychologists define "I".
3. Continuing with 2, the definition probably should not worry us too much.
After all, do psychologists worry about "Natural Computation"? Let us let the
psychologists worry about what intelligence is, let us worry about how to make
it artificial!! (As has been pointed out many times, this is certainly an
iterative process and we can surely learn much from each other!).
4. The notion of intelligence seems to be a continuum; it is doubtful
that we can define a crisp and fine line dividing the intelligent from the
non-intelligent. The current debate has provided enough examples to make
this clear. Our job, therefore, is not to make computers intelligent, but
to make them more intelligent.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment,
Jim Lynch, Dahlgren, Virginia