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Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

insidescience.org

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Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#21

Post by guylhem »

technotony wrote: post #7

This is fascinating. It proposes that intelligence is about maximizing the control we have over future events, ie maximize the entropy of the system. Intuitively this aligns well with how I think about many strategic options or inflections in life/business - you try to take the path which maximizes future options. Lots of interesting applications, will be interested to see how well they manage to communicate this wor…

It is also seems compatible with some experimental parts of economy, such as the study of soldiers of different countries trading MRE which suggest there is a value in diversity, not just taste or quantity.

If there wasn't, why would say french soldiers be exchanging their wine and pate de foie gras MREs - especially after having satisfied their curiosity of what other MREs taste like, ie after the first trade?

Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#22

Post by tokenadult »

It will be interesting to draw psychologists who research human intelligence, especially those who do so from an evolutionary psychology perspective, into this discussion. I aspired to be a physicist back in my high school days, and yet today spend most of my time with academics among psychologists. It's good to see physics prompt some thinking about the nature of human intelligence.

A bibliography I like about current research on human intelligence from the classical and avant garde points of view in psychology:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:WeijiBaikeBianji/Intellige...

Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#23

Post by patcon »

technotony wrote: post #7

This is fascinating. It proposes that intelligence is about maximizing the control we have over future events, ie maximize the entropy of the system. Intuitively this aligns well with how I think about many strategic options or inflections in life/business - you try to take the path which maximizes future options. Lots of interesting applications, will be interested to see how well they manage to communicate this wor…

I think it's about trying to minimize entropy (disorder) of the system. Maximum entropy is maximum disorder (which the universe tends toward naturally), such as when the pendulum hangs below the cart without any intervention.

Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#24

Post by zenogais »

Catching up to early 20th century western philosophy. Relevant links:

- Heidegger/World-disclosure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Being_and_Time) - Nietzsche's will to power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_to_power) - Process and Reality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_and_Reality)

Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#25

Post by 6ren » 

  Keep your options open
I don't think it models intelligence; but maybe it models wisdom. The prediction part requires intelligence.

I can understand physicists getting excited over a simple mathematical model that explain a lot. Like Einstein thinking relativity was so beautiful, it must be true. But a difference there was unexplained empirical data (speed of light constant in all directions) - which we don't have for intelligence.

That is, it's not that we haven't solved the problem of intelligence; but that we don't understand the question. (sometimes dna seems terribly wise).

Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#27

Post by Steuard »

I haven't read the original paper, but (speaking as a physicist) I'm always skeptical when physicists leap into extremely different disciplines and claim to have a grand insight that its specialists have never considered before.

It could always be true: physics really does have a lot to contribute in many areas! But the burden of proof is very, very much on the physicists to justify the relevance of their approach.

In this case, based only on this little summary, I have to wonder whether they are really explaining intelligence or whether they are identifying some broader natural principle for which intelligent behavior is just one manifestation. There may be something quite deep here, but I'm holding off on deciding what exactly it is.

Re: Physicist proposes new way to think about intelligence

#28

Post by snowwrestler »

patcon wrote: post #23
technotony wrote: post #7

This is fascinating. It proposes that intelligence is about maximizing the control we have over future events, ie maximize the entropy of the system. Intuitively this aligns well with how I think about many strategic options or inflections in life/business - you try to take the path which maximizes future options. Lots of interesting applications, will be interested to see how well they manage to communicate this wor…

I think it's about trying to minimize entropy (disorder) of the system. Maximum entropy is maximum disorder (which the universe tends toward naturally), such as when the pendulum hangs below the cart without any intervention.

Why is this down voted? It is correct. The article worded it wrong. A system with lower entropy has more future states than a system with high entropy.
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