Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,sci.cognitive,bionet.neuroscience
From: ohgs@chatham.demon.co.uk (Oliver Sparrow)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!demon!chatham.demon.co.uk!ohgs
Subject: Re: Scientific American's "The Emergence of Intelligence"
References: <37ud8e$edp@nntp1.u.washington.edu>
Organization: Royal Institute of International Affairs
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Date: Wed, 19 Oct 1994 08:00:04 +0000
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.philosophy:21103 sci.cognitive:5401

Bill, it was a good paper anyway. remarkable that contributers to this
usegroup should  represent 30% of what the Sci. American board regarded as
a sweep across known knowledge.

PS: One felt that Stephen Jay Gould would benefit from reading some genetics,
notably in respect of developmental archetypes (homeoboxs and cascades). His
notion that complexity does not significantly increase, that progress is 
largely either illusory or random or both does rather skip over the fact that
what we are is the product of modules of capability which have been acquired, 
reconfigured and developed in testing circumstances. The genetic equivalent of 
algorithmic complexity has increased - albeit erratically, subject to exogenous 
mass extinctions and the like. The determination that the idea of evolutionary 
progress is somehow the driver of that deeply pernicious idea, cultural 
progress; and that this idea lead to Politically Incorrect thoughts amongst 
Victorian fossil hunters and imperialists is an arguement for which the 
evokation rules for the homeoboxs commanding "arse" and "face" orientations 
have been reversed. Antennipedia rules, ok?

 _________________________________________________

  Oliver Sparrow
  ohgs@chatham.demon.co.uk
