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Article 5253 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: tomh.bbs@cybernet.cse.fau.edu
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: O-I ( other intelligence )
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Date: 20 Apr 92 03:20:27 GMT
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nea@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (norman.e.andrews) writes:

> 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.

I think "conceptual awareness" implies some concept of having concepts..
I think they have some internal representations, akin to states,
and the complex structures they build can be explained by simple
iteration of relatively simple behaviors.  The hives and webs are
emergent phenomena of these behaviors and certain properties of
the physical world.

Tom Holroyd
tomh@bambi.ccs.fau.edu


