To clarify, I meant, within a human brain. Not within an artificial neural net. The human brain is highly ordered before birth by genetically determined chemotaxis signals guiding axon growth. Synapses are formed within relatively small regions of where the guided axons have ended up. This results in a large capacity for ‘fine’ adjustments, while having a preset large scale structure which is very similar between individuals. The amount of this large-scale order seen in the human brain, as evidenced by the broad similarity of Brodmann regions between individuals, is the thing I’m claiming couldn’t be established by pruning neurons.
To clarify, I meant, within a human brain. Not within an artificial neural net. The human brain is highly ordered before birth by genetically determined chemotaxis signals guiding axon growth. Synapses are formed within relatively small regions of where the guided axons have ended up. This results in a large capacity for ‘fine’ adjustments, while having a preset large scale structure which is very similar between individuals. The amount of this large-scale order seen in the human brain, as evidenced by the broad similarity of Brodmann regions between individuals, is the thing I’m claiming couldn’t be established by pruning neurons.
For more info: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Wr7N9ji36EvvvrqJK/response-to-quintin-pope-s-evolution-provides-no-evidence?commentId=r72N4LxupbmTtgN3i