From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!jupiter!morgan.ucs.mun.ca!nstn.ns.ca!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!uknet!edcastle!dcs.ed.ac.uk!pv Tue Nov 19 11:10:35 EST 1991
Article 1366 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!utgpu!jupiter!morgan.ucs.mun.ca!nstn.ns.ca!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!mcsun!uknet!edcastle!dcs.ed.ac.uk!pv
>From: pv@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Paul Varnish)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: Definitions (I)
Message-ID: <21763@skye.dcs.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 15 Nov 91 12:36:26 GMT
References: <1991Nov14.183231.10554@aisb.ed.ac.uk>
Sender: nnews@dcs.ed.ac.uk
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh
Lines: 27

In article <1991Nov14.183231.10554@aisb.ed.ac.uk>, aiss@aisb.ed.ac.uk writes:

> What is Intelligence?
> 
> How would you explain what intelligence is to one of your closest
> friends?
> Would be interested to know.
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Sven Suska                      aiss@aisb.ed.ac.uk

An explanation of intelligence would surely entail some criteria for determining
the relative/absolute intelligence of various agents (human vs human, human vs
animal). A brief glance at the recent Animal vs Human intelligence discussion
suggests that this is not a straightforward task. It would seem that a
description of intelligence is hard to pin down. Less formal, more intuitive,
definitions are widespread, suggesting we each/all have an underlying concept to
call upon.

As with other vague concepts in the mind, the exhibition of a prototype
or a 'feature-list' is difficult.

Just as an aside - would the recipient of the exaplanation need to be 'intelligent'
to fully understand an explanation.

Paul


