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Article 1228 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: max@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com (Max Webb)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Animal Intelligence vs Human Intelligence
Message-ID: <1991Nov7.011312.6764@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com>
Date: 7 Nov 91 01:13:12 GMT
References: <37443@shamash.cdc.com> <1991Oct31.235402.12739@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com> <1991Nov1.152428.2760@en.ecn.purdue.edu>
Organization: Cypress Semiconductor Northwest, Beaverton Oregon
Lines: 25

In article <1991Nov1.152428.2760@en.ecn.purdue.edu> krom@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Kevin M Krom) writes:
>In article <1991Oct31.235402.12739@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com> max@hilbert.cyprs.rain.com (Max Webb) writes:
>>Tool making behavior
>>and puzzle solving has been observed in chimps on many occasions,
>>which I feel really must be considered thinking of the highest kind.
>Just my $.02 here, but tool making and using behavior isn't the highest level
>of thinking, abstraction is. Most humans do not reach the level where they
>can start thinking in abstractions until their early teens, but they can 
>make and use tools well before.

Seems to me that a creature that can make tools, and solve problems
(like busting out of a chimp retirement home) shows most of the abilities
required for intelligent symbol use, if it can learn the mapping. Add
the ability to maintain consistent multiple representations in various sensory
modalities (known to be required for true abstractions),  and you've got
everything that we know (so far) to be required for abstractions like math.

I could be wrong.

>-- 
>Kevin Krom
>Purdue Class of '92 (I hope)
                      ^^^^^^ good luck! (you'll make it)
Max G. Webb
Purdue Class of '86 (ms)


