From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!markh Wed Sep 16 21:22:23 EDT 1992
Article 6831 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark)
Subject: My definition of intelligence
Message-ID: <1992Sep9.032813.19773@uwm.edu>
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References: <86891@netnews.upenn.edu> <iordonez.715293767@academ01> <1992Sep9.025119.15500@uwm.edu>
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 03:28:13 GMT
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   Intelligence is a qualitative assessment of something regarding the
complexity of its behavior.  Nothing more, nothing less.  No sudden emergence,
no lights turning on, no POOF I'm alive!

   It's an attribute that can apply to problem solving behavior.  You can say,
for instance, this is an intelligent problem solver.  It could apply to
navigation, then you'd have an intelligent navigator in direct proportion to
the intricacy of its operation.  It could apply to language, you could then
be referring to the intelligent use of language.

   In all cases, the usage is referring to the complexity of a system's
behavior in such and such field.

   It also implies simplicity.  For instance, a naive or "simple" proof
generator would appear to be textbookish and would be producing oversized
output.  An intelligent proof generator operates in a far less naive and far
more intricate manner than thus will almost always produce correspondingly
more concise proofs.

    So in cases like that conciseness is the hallmark of intelligence.  Thus,
for example, the more intelligently written machine program is the smaller and
simpler one.


