RE: COMP: AI substrate

Billy Brown (ewbrownv@mindspring.com)
Mon, 26 Jul 1999 18:34:21 -0500

hal@finney.org [SMTP:hal@finney.org] wrote:
> Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, <sentience@pobox.com>, writes:
> > If intelligence was that simple, rats would be sentient.
>
> I question whether intelligence is so helpful that all mammals evolved
> to be as intelligent as possible. It seems to me that intelligence is
> of questionable value in the day to day life of an animal.
>
> Consider the life of prehistoric humans. I don't see why someone
> marginally more intelligent than others will have much of an advantage in
> hunting or gathering.

This seems to be a variation on the idea that "IQ only matters for science, math, and other academic skills". This idea may be appealing to the average man, but it isn't true. Smart people learn all skills faster than dull ones, and they tend to peak out at a higher level of ability. If you have two primitive hunters who are physically identical, but one is IQ 100 than the other is IQ 90. the smart one will tend to be noticeably better at surviving.

Billy Brown, MCSE+I
ewbrownv@mindspring.com