I define intelligence much more generally. I think that an entity is intelligent to the extent that it is able to engage in goal-directed activity, with respect to some environment. By this definition, fish and insects are intelligent. Humans, more so. “Environment” can be as general as you like. For example, it can include the temporal dimension. Or it might be digital. A machine that can detect a rolling ball, compute its path, and intercept it is intelligent.
Aspects of human intelligence, such as language, and the ability to model novel environments, serve the end of goal-directed activity. I think the first-person view (‘consciousness’) is “real”, but it is also subservient to the end of goal-directed activity. I think that as definitions go, one has got to start there, and build up and out. As Caledonian points out, this could also apply to construction plans.
I define intelligence much more generally. I think that an entity is intelligent to the extent that it is able to engage in goal-directed activity, with respect to some environment. By this definition, fish and insects are intelligent. Humans, more so. “Environment” can be as general as you like. For example, it can include the temporal dimension. Or it might be digital. A machine that can detect a rolling ball, compute its path, and intercept it is intelligent.
Aspects of human intelligence, such as language, and the ability to model novel environments, serve the end of goal-directed activity. I think the first-person view (‘consciousness’) is “real”, but it is also subservient to the end of goal-directed activity. I think that as definitions go, one has got to start there, and build up and out. As Caledonian points out, this could also apply to construction plans.