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Article 5150 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: nea@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (norman.e.andrews)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: O-I ( other intelligence )
Message-ID: <1992Apr20.001759.10684@cbnewsj.cb.att.com>
Date: 20 Apr 92 00:17:59 GMT
References: <kuu171INNqpp@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Sender: Norm Andrews at AT&T Bell Laboratories
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Room MT-2C402 - 200 Laurel Avenue - Middletown, NJ 07748
Lines: 35

The question came up concerning how "numerically aware" insects might be,
given that they can build hives and spider webs.  I confess I never met
an insect who was explicitly conceptually aware of the minimum concept "unit",
conceptual awareness of which is required for the formation of (and also the
formalization of) of all other concepts, numerical or not.  So I'd say
based on the evidence (there isn't any I'm aware of) that insects haven't
any concepts, in spite of their "geometric" abilities.

What would you have insects do, to say they are numerically aware?
What measurements would they make, geo-metric or otherwise?
Would they quantify anything, or rank things according to "more" or "less"?

What evidence is there that insects
have percepts?
perceive objects?
recognize objects as entities?
have minds of any kind (name the kind...)?

If I ask you to form ANY concept not making use of the idea of unit,
you will (hopefully) see what it is you do when you think of unit and
when you form a concept.  Is there any evidence an insect can do what
you do when you think of "unit"?  When you abstracted away from particulars,
which did you leave out and which did you take?  Does an insect have the
same faculty of choice that you exercized in getting to "unit"?

Norm Andrews
EMAIL: attmail!mtuxo!norm or
       att!mtuxo!norm or
       norm@mtuxo.att.com or
       n.e.andrews@att.com
-- 
Norm Andrews
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Room MT-2C402
200 Laurel Avenue, Middletown, NJ 07748
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