Sunday 28 October 2018

Pure Intelligence III

See Pure Intelligence II.

I strive for comprehensiveness but must always add more. A question I forgot:

Might a future artifact combine the functions of a computer and of an artificial brain?

If the later is possible, then why not? But:

this entity would be conscious because of its brain functions, not because of its computer functions;

the brain functions would not be mere extensions or complications of the computer functions but would differ qualitatively from them.

Obviously, our brains include a computational function. My mental arithmetic is dire but Fred Hoyle argued that how our brains perform mathematical operations is a matter of luck. An Indian woman who had never been to school performed any calculation instantly and correctly to six places of decimals. She did not know how she did it. Somewhere in her brain was a powerful organic computer but she was conscious only of the answer as she gave it.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I have heard of people like the woman from India you mentioned. The brains of some people seem to be esp. talented at doing certain things. Another example might be how some have photographic memories of everything they read or see.

Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
So what might be possible for humanity in future with enhanced psychosomatic training?
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

But things like a photographic memory or being really good at mathematics are not the same as wisdom, foresight, forethought, patience, justice, etc. Such things are much harder to gain.

Sean