I guess we should first agree on what the term “intelligent” means.
Smart.
[edit: I didn’t see an alternate meaning for what I wrote. I meant that it was smart to check for or seek agreement on the meaning, not that “intelligent” means “smart,” a mere synonym.]
I do not have a good definition, but let’s borrow the one given by Eliezer. It ought to be an instrumentally good one, given that constructing an intelligence (a “friendly” one) is his life’s goal:
But relative to the space of low-entropy, highly regular goal systems—goal systems that don’t pick a new utility function for every different time and every different place—that negentropy pours through the notion of “optimization” and comes out as a concentrated probability distribution over what an “alien intelligence” would do, even in the “absence of any hypothesis” about its goals.
Now, I assume that your definition would not be identical to his, so feel free to express it here.
The post refers to a definition, but doesn’t state it. A previous post has a definition:
(10) “Intelligence” is efficient cross-domain optimization.
I read this as an ability to “solve problems” efficiently, “cross-domain,” i.e., not just in some narrow field. In our discussion, I quote EY as referring to Reality as if it has huge computational ability.
My own thinking has reflected on the “omniscience” and “omnipotence” of God as being almost a tautology: Reality knows all things, and over all things has power.
Reality, however, is not an “artificial intelligence,” although artificial intelligence may exist, may be real. If it exists, it is limited by its computational power. The computational power of Reality will necessarily be greater. It may not be unlimited though. The Many Worlds interpretation might extend the power of Reality almost infinitely.
On the other hand, is Reality “efficient”?
I have no confidence in these ideas as “truth,” but do see them as possibly useful, in terms of the relationship with Reality that might be fostered by them.
I don’t know that we diverge. We have not discussed this. Do remember, above, that I said that the difference between a theist and atheist was only a thin space. It might not even be an important space. However, that could depend on what he means by “atheist” and what I mean by “Muslim,” which has been the whole point of this discussion, coming as commentary on EY’s “Uncritical Supercriticality.”
His post seems to me to be about this problem we have of making assumptions about people and positions from affliiations, and what amount to political responses to real or imagined difference. “The affective death spiral.” Thanks, shminux, for the questions you ask, which, in my experience, bring insight.
Thanks, shminux, for the questions you ask, which, in my experience, bring insight.
You are most welcome, though my assessment of our exchange is less glowing, given that neither of us changed their worldview to any significant degree.
Smart.
[edit: I didn’t see an alternate meaning for what I wrote. I meant that it was smart to check for or seek agreement on the meaning, not that “intelligent” means “smart,” a mere synonym.]
The post refers to a definition, but doesn’t state it. A previous post has a definition:
I read this as an ability to “solve problems” efficiently, “cross-domain,” i.e., not just in some narrow field. In our discussion, I quote EY as referring to Reality as if it has huge computational ability.
My own thinking has reflected on the “omniscience” and “omnipotence” of God as being almost a tautology: Reality knows all things, and over all things has power.
Reality, however, is not an “artificial intelligence,” although artificial intelligence may exist, may be real. If it exists, it is limited by its computational power. The computational power of Reality will necessarily be greater. It may not be unlimited though. The Many Worlds interpretation might extend the power of Reality almost infinitely.
On the other hand, is Reality “efficient”?
I have no confidence in these ideas as “truth,” but do see them as possibly useful, in terms of the relationship with Reality that might be fostered by them.
So, if you agree with EY’s definition of intelligence, where do you think you two diverge, him being an atheist and you a Muslim?
I don’t know that we diverge. We have not discussed this. Do remember, above, that I said that the difference between a theist and atheist was only a thin space. It might not even be an important space. However, that could depend on what he means by “atheist” and what I mean by “Muslim,” which has been the whole point of this discussion, coming as commentary on EY’s “Uncritical Supercriticality.”
His post seems to me to be about this problem we have of making assumptions about people and positions from affliiations, and what amount to political responses to real or imagined difference. “The affective death spiral.” Thanks, shminux, for the questions you ask, which, in my experience, bring insight.
You are most welcome, though my assessment of our exchange is less glowing, given that neither of us changed their worldview to any significant degree.
Give it time.