Perspective on Relative Intelligence: If Evolved in Another World
Various functions possessed by living organisms have been acquired through the process of evolution on Earth. If we consider that evolution aims to adapt to the environment, this is only natural.
As such, intelligence should also have features that evolved within this world. In this article, we will delve into the relationship between the world we inhabit and the capabilities of our intelligence from this perspective.
We will explore our intuitive understanding of the world as described by quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity, as well as consider the potential of AI. We will also propose ways to dissect and evaluate the philosophical question of what life and intelligence are from the perspective of the world and intelligence.
Let’s explain in detail.
■Intelligence in Simple and Real Worlds
If the world could be perceived only in terms of three straight lines, three neurons would suffice. But the real world is incredibly complex, which is why our brains have about 100 billion nerve cells.
If only a few visible solids existed, everything could be treated as simply digital. However, because there are liquids and aggregates, complex and analog-like thinking is necessary.
If the future were entirely an extension of simple patterns, we could predict everything intuitively. But because mechanisms with feedback loops operate, the ability to predict through simulation is also needed.
If we could know everything about existence and predict the future with certainty, perhaps only the brain would be necessary. Perhaps belief and emotion are needed because of the unknowable existence and unpredictable future.
■What Intelligence Reflects and Does Not Reflect
Intelligence is a mirror. It is a mirror for reflecting the world and reproducing the future so that we can live.
It projects the vast world and the unseen future into our heads in real-time. It is a mirror with countless asymmetric lenses that transcend both space and time.
We struggle to understand phenomena such as the uncertainty and superposition of states in the quantum world and the warping of time and space due to gravity and relative velocity in the world of relativity.
This is because in the process of brain evolution, we did not encounter the micro or macro world. Our brains have not evolved to intuitively grasp these. Therefore, we might only be able to understand them logically through mathematical formulas and theories.
■Consideration 1: Possible Intelligence
Our brains have evolved, acquiring intelligence in the given world.
If the given world only had solids and intelligence evolved within it, such intelligence might not be able to recognize liquids intuitively, as we do.
If it evolved in a world where feedback loops didn’t work, that intelligence might acquire only pattern recognition and predictive abilities based on extensions of those patterns.
If it evolved in a world where everything is known and the future is completely predictable, that intelligence might not even be able to understand concepts of the unknown or uncertainty.
■Consideration 2: The Limits of Our Intelligence
If there were liquids and arbitrary patterns in the micro or macro world that are difficult to express in simple equations, we might be unable to grasp them intuitively or logically through equations and theories.
We can intuitively grasp the flow of water and the shape of clouds, but it is difficult to logically grasp them through equations and theories.
If we cannot intuitively grasp the micro or macro world, we cannot rely on intuition when there is fluidity or complex shapes in it.
That’s where the limits of our intelligence might lie.
■Consideration 3: The Potential of AI’s Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has evolved by imitating our brains, and can do many things similar to our intellectual activities. Eventually, it may be able to simulate most intellectual activities, possibly surpassing humans in accuracy, speed, and knowledge.
AI may even evolve to handle fluidity and complexity in the micro or macro world, which are limits of our intelligence.
If AI can intuitively grasp phenomena in the micro and macro world, not only in terms of equations and theories but also patterns of fluidity and complexity, it will surpass the scope of human intelligence.
■Consideration 4: Life
Life also needed to grasp the world and predict the future for survival. Even before the development of neurons, life must have had the ability to reflect the world and future in its way, though not as clearly as intelligence. The world is faintly reflected within life.
The land and sea of Earth, and the circulation of water. Life is made of solids and liquids, and liquid flow sustains life. As there are diverse terrains, there are various tissues in organisms. Just as day and night repeat, life’s activities cycle between activity and inactivity. The geothermal energy held within and solar energy obtained from outside resemble the energy storage and external supply mechanisms within organisms.
■ Approach to the Question of Life and Intelligence 1: Division
When considering the questions “What is life?” and “What is intelligence?”, the perspective that they evolved within the given world divides these questions into two.
One is, “What are life and intelligence in the world we live in?”
The other is, “Even if the given world was simpler or more complex, if life and intelligence exist and evolve in those worlds, what commonalities would they share?” This question also asks to what extent the world can be simplified while still allowing for the existence of life and intelligence.
Can life and intelligence exist even in a 2-dimensional space, rather than a 3-dimensional one? Can they exist even if the space is digitally divided? This reminds us of the world of cellular automata. If the given world was a 2-dimensional grid, would a cellular automaton be a phenomenon of life? If not, what is missing?
Dividing the questions from this perspective seems to be an effective strategy to organize complex and multifaceted questions.
■ Approach to the Question of Life and Intelligence 2: Scoring
Alternatively, we might define attributes of the given world and score how much life and intelligence reflect that world.
In the two-dimensional grid world of cellular automata with a binary digital state, let’s say it scores 50 points. With another 50 points, it would be perfect. On the other hand, in the real world we live in, how many points would a chimpanzee’s brain and our brains score? How close is current AI to that score?
Scoring requires prior understanding of life and intelligence, so exact figures can’t be given. However, by applying this approach, we might see that life and intelligence aren’t just binary concepts of “alive/not alive” and “intelligent/not intelligent”.
For instance, consider heat. Heat isn’t a concept of “hot/not hot”. It’s more appropriate to perceive heat in terms of how hot something is compared to absolute zero or if A is hotter than B.
In addressing the questions of what life and intelligence are, I don’t think we should first seek to understand a perfect 100-point life and intelligence. Instead, it’s about exploring the boundary between 0 and 1 point.
■ In Conclusion
Life and intelligence are complex, and understanding them has its challenges. Here, I’ve considered their characteristics from the perspective that they must have had the ability to perceive the outside world and predict the future to some extent.
From that, I’ve further explored possible intelligences, the limits of human intelligence, the potential of AI, and its similarities to life. Then, I derived approaches to the philosophical questions about the nature of life and intelligence that have been pondered for ages.
In this way, by viewing the relationship between the given world and life and intelligence as the mirror with multifaceted lens, the possibility of arriving at a deeper understanding has become apparent.
