Re: Definitions of Intelligence

Samael (Samael@dial.pipex.com)
Mon, 14 Dec 1998 10:51:31 -0000

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Whipple <byteboy@simons-rock.edu> To: extropians@extropy.com <extropians@extropy.com> Date: 11 December 1998 17:50
Subject: Definitions of Intelligence

>Intelligence: The ability to logically choose between a set of rational
>and irrational methods to obtain a goal, project various outcomes, and
>proceed in realizing the goal - taking as many of the variable into
>consideration as possible.

My particular definition is:

The ability to recognise patterns and extrapolate from them.

This seems to include understanding, planning, recognition, spacial skills and most of the rest of what we call intelligence. It stems from my (albeit brief) studies of neural nets and how they work (mostly by spotting patterns and noting what happens to them when they are affected in different ways).

Samael