1) Course Introduction
“We are at a critical juncture in human history, which could lead to widely contrasting futures.”
—National Intelligence Council Report: Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds
“A hundred years from now, when historians look back at this century, they’ll conclude that the story of our age wasn’t politics or war. It was the transformation of humanity and society by revolutionary advances in science and technology."
—Will Saletan, national correspondent at Slate
In our exploration of intelligence, we will first address the scope and significance of the subject, delving into its conceptual and practical implications. We will examine what we truly mean by “diverse intelligences,” uncovering their various expressions and purposes across humans, animals, and machines. This inquiry will lead us into the profound mystery of matter, mechanism, and mind, allowing us to ponder how these elements interact and contribute to the phenomenon of intelligence. Central to our study will be the concept of General Intelligence and the formidable challenge of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Through this comprehensive examination, we aim to illuminate the intricate dynamics of intelligence and its far-reaching impacts, both theoretical and applied.
Course Readings
Prologue (Clever Hans the horse) p1-3, Animal Mind, James L. Gould, Carol Grant Gould
What is it like to be a bat -- Nagel, T. (1974). What Is It Like to Be a Bat. Philosophical Review, 83, 435-450. Thomas Nagel
2) Defining Intelligence: Culture, Cosmology, and Historical Perspectives
To truly grasp the concept of intelligence, we must first consider its multifaceted nature through the lenses of culture, cosmology, and historical evolution. Intelligence is not a monolithic entity but a complex interplay of cognitive capacities such as memory, reasoning, planning, and creative imagination. The myriad ways in which we categorize and describe intelligence reflect deep-seated cultural values and historical attitudes. Over time, societal views on intelligence have shaped and been shaped by practices related to education, medical fields, and even controversial policies like eugenics. Understanding these historical dimensions helps us appreciate the diverse expressions of intelligence and their profound implications for human society.
Course Readings
Dave Myers Psychology Chapter on Intelligence
In the Name of Eugenics Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity, by Daniel J. Kevles
Supplemental Readings
3) AI and Machine Intelligence (Part I)
“…our minds are a technology—like other technologies in being a set of mechanisms for the routine solution of a class of problems.”
—Allen Newell
"Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks."
—Stephen Hawking
As we delve into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine intelligence, it's essential to start with the foundational principles that guide their design and operation. From classical AI (GOFAI) to contemporary methods like supervised, unsupervised, reinforcement, and self-supervised learning, each approach reveals strengths and limitations. These technologies not only showcase the potential of machines to perform complex tasks but also highlight the challenges and future developments that lie ahead. Understanding these principles is crucial for evaluating the impact of AI on our world and its role in shaping the future of intelligence.
Course Readings
Universe would die before monkey with keyboard writes Shakespeare, study finds
Selected readings from Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
Selected readings What Computers Still Can’t Do: A Critique of Artificial Reason by Hubert Dreyfus
Supplemental Readings
ALVINN: An Autonomous Land Vehicle in a Neural Network, Dean Pomerleau
Selected readings The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick
4) AI and Machine Intelligence (Part II)
“The knowledge is in the connections.”
—David Rumelhart
“Seekers after the glitter of intelligence are misguided in trying to cast it in the base metal of computing.”
—Terry Winegrad
In the second part of our exploration into AI, we must differentiate between mere information processing and genuine intelligence, which encompasses knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. A critical question arises: Can computers possess consciousness? We will examine the Turing test and concepts like anthropomorphization and the AI effect, which shed light on the limits of machine intelligence. Additionally, we'll explore the intersections of mathematics, reason, and the nature of the mind, considering the challenges posed by embodied existence—where intelligence is both potent and perishable.
Course Readings
Selected readings from Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
Selected readings from Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom,
Supplemental Readings
COMPUTING MACHINERY AND INTELLIGENCE: By A. M. Turing (imitation game)
5) Biology and the Emergence of Mind—General Considerations
"Intelligence seems to be about how tightly you can compress reality and, from that compression, predict the future"
— Elon musk
"Knowledge is power"
— Francis Bacon, Meditationes Sacrae, 1597
Turning our focus to biology, we encounter the concept of the anti-entropic process, which underpins the definition of life itself. This biological perspective brings into question the notions of mortality, agency, and the intrinsic value of living beings. As it emerges from the vital powers of living organisms, intelligence is closely linked to awareness, action, and appetite (desire)—elements that drive basic survival and higher aspirations. This biological framework helps us understand how intelligence is deeply intertwined with the essence of life.
Course Readings
To Move and To Feel: On the Animal Soul, Hans Jonas, The Phenomena of Life: Towards a Philosophical Biology
Supplemental Readings
Selected readings from A Brief History of Intelligence, by Max Bennett
6) Biology and Umwelt: The Functional Unity of Body, Mind, and Environment
“The phenomenon of life itself negates the boundaries that customarily divide our disciplines and fields."
—Hans Jonas
"Having proved men’s and brute’s bodies' on one type; almost superfluous to consider minds"
—Charles Darwin, Notebooks on transmutation of species.
Exploring the concept of Umwelt reveals the intricate relationship between an organism’s body, mind, and environment. Species-specific purposes and selective perceptions shape how organisms interact with their life-world, which encompasses both physical and social dimensions. External forces act as mental prostheses, augmenting cognitive functions and influencing developmental trajectories. Through enactive engagement with the world, intelligence manifests as a dynamic interplay between an organism and its surroundings, highlighting the functional unity of body and mind.
Course Readings
"The Human Form": Omnivorosus Erectus (59 - 93, The Hungry Soul: Eating and the Perfecting of our Nature)
Supplemental Readings
7) The Phylogeny of Intelligence: From Chemicals to Consciousness
“Moreover, it must be confessed that perception and that which depends upon it are inexplicable on mechanical grounds, that is to say, by means of figures and motions. And supposing there were a machine, so constructed as to think, feel, and have perception, it might be conceived as increased in size, while keeping the same proportions, so that one might go into it as into a mill. That being so, we should, on examining its interior, find only parts which work one upon another, and never anything by which to explain a perception.” —Gotfried Wilhelm Leibniz
"Desire (or appetite), not DNA, is the deepest principle of life."
—Leon Kass
The evolutionary journey of intelligence is a fascinating narrative from simple chemical processes to complex consciousness. We will examine how intelligence has evolved, exploring the diverse body forms and "shapes" of minds across different species. The significance of subjectivity, emotion, and motivation in this evolutionary context provides insights into how intelligence develops and diversifies, reflecting cognitive processes' adaptive and transformative nature.
Course Readings
About Minds, and the new Art of Representation, Feeling and knowing: Making minds conscious, Damasio
Is God a Mathematician? By Hans Jonas
Selected readings from Feeling and Knowing: Making Minds Conscious by Antonio Damasio
Selected readings from Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence by Paco Calvo,
8) Genetics and Innate Motor Programs (Fixed Action Patterns)
"I do not deny life to animals, since I regard it as consisting simply in the heat of the heart; and I do not even deny sensation, in so far as it depends on a bodily organ. It's fine to cause the "sensation" of pain in animals because they are simply machines and have no moral agency." —René Descartes
The genetics of a species (and individuals members of a species) plays a critical role in shaping intelligence through innate motor programs, which are called fixed action patterns. The difference between precocial and altricial species emphasizes how genetic and environmental factors can influence developmental paths. Gene regulation, epigenetics, and the effects of nurture on behavior demonstrate the adaptability of species expression. Understanding these genetic foundations helps us grasp the intricacies of behavioral and cognitive development.
Course Readings
Deacon, Domestication Chapter
Innate Behavior (22-43) Animal Mind, James L. Gould, Carol Grant Gould
Supplemental Readings
9) Sensory Refinement and Multi-Modal Sensory Integration
“…our brain takes the incomplete information about the outside world that it receives from our eyes and makes it complete.”
—Eric Kandel
According to Aristotle, everything in our intelligence comes to it through the senses. Detection and interpretation of sensory impressions are the most primary adaptation in this history of life. Across phylogeny the range, refinement, and effective integration of sensory input set the foundation for information-guided intellectual powers and adaptive flexibility. This awareness of the world around us (exteroception), together with the internally generated sensations of body position and homeostasis (interoception) is essential for the generation of individual identity, coherent perceptions, and effective action—the key elements of intelligence.
Course Readings
Selected readings from A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Bennett
Supplemental Readings
Songs that birds 'sing' in their dreams translated into sound (New Scientist)
10) Communication: Signals and the Social Mind
"the primary difference between our species and all others is our reliance on cultural transmission of information and hence on cultural evolution"
—Daniel Dennett
Communication is a fundamental aspect of intelligence, deeply intertwined with the social mind. The study of signals, signs, and gestures reveals how communities and extended minds interact and evolve. Language and its embodied foundations reflect the complex interplay between communication and social coordination, providing insights into how intelligence is expressed and shared within and across species.
Course Readings
Philosophy in the Flesh -- George Lakeoff and Mark Johnson
Diary of a Baby -- Daniel Stern
Supplemental Readings
Human Variability and the Origins and Evolution of Language: T.W. Deacon
If language began in the hands, why did it ever leave? | Aeon Essays
11) Curiosity, Creativity, and Imagination: Search, Possibility, and the Importance of Choice
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
—Albert Einstein
“By space the universe encompasses and swallows me up like a dot; by thought I encompass the Universe.”
—-Blaise Pascal, “Pensees”, n. 265
Curiosity, creativity, and imagination drive the search for possibilities, highlighting the importance of choice in intelligent behavior. Computation and the optimization of reward showcase how intelligence navigates complex decision-making processes. Imagination, viewed as the act of creation, combined with cultural influences and tool-making, emphasizes the dynamic interplay between cognitive exploration and creative expression.
Course Readings
Story of the crow throwing pebbles into the bucket of water to raise the water level and drink.
Reading is in the first part of the Animal Mind book.
12) Self, Self-Awareness, and Metacognition (Bridging to the Human)
"An educated mind is able to entertain a thought critically, without accepting it"
—Aristotle
"The imagination is one of the highest prerogatives of man. By this faculty he unites, independently of the will, former images and ideas, and this creates brilliant and novel results"
—Charles Darwin.
Studying self, self-awareness, and metacognition helps us better understand the origins and expressions of human intelligence. Our sense of bodily being is influenced by proprioception and sensory awareness, while our self-concept is shaped by feelings and metaphors of mind. The mirror test provides insights into the complex foundations of self-awareness across phylogeny. Metacognition, highlighting the recursive and reflexive aspects of self-awareness, provide the crucial component of higher-level consciousness and the ‘top-down’ cognitive capacities of the human mind.
Course Readings
Supplemental Readings
13) Flexibility and Plasticity
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
― Albert Einstein
“What is malleable is always superior to that which is immovable. This is the principle of controlling things by going along with them, of mastery through adaptation.”
– Lao Tzu
The development of cognitive abilities relies on responsive flexibility and adaptability, which are influenced by a combination of genetics, epigenetics, and capacity for learning and memory. Imagination and planning are indicators of human intelligence's dynamic nature, shaped by genetic predispositions, environmental encounters, and higher-order rational and emotional integration. The "more is less" hypothesis proposes that genetically encoded behaviors (fixed action patterns) in other animal species are, in humans, liberated for governance by higher-level cognitive processes of evaluative judgment and integrated intention. In this way, human beings manifest the fullest coordination of "bottom-up" and "top-down" control, highlighting the adaptability and versatility of human intelligence.
Course Readings
Less Is More, Natural Loss-of-Function Mutation Is a Strategy for Adaptation
Supplemental Readings
Selected readings from A History of the Mind: Evolution and the Birth of Consciousness by Nicholas Humphrey
Selected readings from A Brief History of Intelligence, By Max Bennett
14) The Human Difference—Degree or Kind?
"[Man] owes his success to certain things which distinguish him from other animals: speech, fire, agriculture, writing, tools, and large-scale cooperation"
—Bertrand Russell
The uniqueness of the human species raises thought-provoking questions about whether our intelligence is a matter of degree or kind. By studying the human physical form, including facial expressions, hands, and upright posture, we can better understand its connection to cognitive processes. Human intelligence is further distinguished by language, symbolic reasoning, and meta-cognition, while the accumulation and transmission of cultural knowledge emphasize the significance of cultural intelligence. This examination sheds light on both the distinct features and common traits of human cognition.
Course Readings
Chapter 1, Human Ascendency (iii) Human Uniqueness Pg 30 - 36, Keith Thomas, Man and the Natural World: Changing attitudes in England 1500 - 1800
Selected readings from The Runaway Brain: The Evolution of Human Uniqueness by Christopher Wills,
Selected readings from The Human Difference of Man and the Difference it Makes by Mortimer J. Adler
Supplemental Readings
The Phenomenon of Man, Teilhard de Chardin
Selected readings from A Mind So Rare: The Evolution of Human Consciousness by Merlin Donald
15) Sociality and Human Development: Self, Other, and Theory of Mind
“I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.”
—Roger Ebert, film critic
The development of human social skills is closely linked with our ability to understand ourselves, others, and theory of mind. Simulation Theory (resonant intersubjectivity) and ‘Theory-Theory’ (using psychological theories to infer the mental states of others) examine how our interactions and social alignments influence learning and emotional intelligence. The significance of empathy, imagination, and moral beliefs in human relationships highlights the importance of emotional intelligence and religious beliefs in promoting altruism and social unity.
Course Readings
Minds comparing Minds (39 - 62) The Gap: The Science of What Separates Us from Other Animals -- Thomas Suddendorf
How Molecules Became Signs, by Terry Deacon
Supplemental Readings
Selected readings from The Phenomenon of Man by Teilhard de Chardin
16) Diversity, Disability, and Disease: Insights into the Variability and Versatility of Minds
"When memory is disrupted, these essential mental faculties suffer. Thus, memory is the glue that holds our mental life together. Without its unifying force, our consciousness would be broken into as many fragments as there are seconds in the day."
—Eric Kandel
Studying diversity, disability, and disease provides valuable insights into the range and flexibility of the human mind. For example, cortical recruitment in sensory deficits, like echolocation in the blind, and conditions such as autism and savant syndrome, demonstrate the variety of cognitive adaptations, disproportions, and focal deficits. Additionally, common cognitive differences, such as dyslexia and synesthesia, shed light on the diverse cognitive ‘styles’ of humans and the cognitive strategies and metaphors that generate individual differences in scope and expressions of the human mind. Likewise, studies of distinctive cognitive states such as hallucinations (associated with psychedelics) and hyper-religiosity (associated with temporal lobe epilepsy) highlight the physical foundations of aesthetic and visionary ideation. Finally, the effects of toxic substance and ‘toxic’ social circumstances provide insights on pathologies of mental operation governing human intelligence and the origins of disorders of learning, anti-social behavior, and violent crime.
Course Readings
17) Imago Dei: Art, Aesthetics, and Moral/Spiritual Intelligence
"Of all the differences between man and the lower animals, the moral sense or conscious is by far the most important"
—Charles Darwin
The concept of Imago Dei invites us to explore art, aesthetics, moral and spiritual intelligence. Intelligence and narrative are intertwined with the autobiographical self, while the unity in multiplicity reflects relationships and personhood. Co-creation and ethics address the pursuit of the true, the beautiful, and the good. Suffering, altruism, and the cosmology of love provide a framework for understanding the moral and spiritual dimensions of intelligence.
Course Readings
A Neural Circuit for Spirituality and Religiosity Derived From Patients With Brain Lesions, NLM LibrarySelected readings from The Body in the Mind: The Bodily Basis of Meaning, Imagination, and Reason, by Mark Johnson
Supplemental Readings
Selected readings from Cosmos: The World and the Glory of God by Louis Bouyer,
18) Artifacts and Intelligence: Tools and Technology as Extensions of the Mind
“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.”
—Napoleon Bonaparte
Artifacts and technology serve as extensions of the mind, enhancing our cognitive capacities through sensory and virtual reality experiences. The expanded self, facilitated by tools and social media, demonstrates how technology transforms our interaction with the world and augments our cognitive processes. This exploration highlights the profound impact of technology on our understanding of intelligence and its extensions.
Course Readings
The wooden artifacts from Schöningen’s Spear Horizon and their place in human evolution, by James O'ConnellSelected readings from Life 3.0, by Max Tegmark
Supplemental Readings
Selected readings from The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of Cultures, by Antonio Damasio,
19) Trajectories in the Evolution of Intelligence, Teleology, and Cosmic Purpose
"Teleology means that in addition to physical law of the familiar kind, there are other laws of nature that are "biased toward the marvelous"
—Thomas Nagel, Mind and Cosmos
"Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced" —Kierkegaard
The evolution of intelligence across phylogeny, and its strategic trajectory toward top-down control through integrated modes of mental operation, may provide insights into teleology and cosmic purpose. The anthropic principle suggests that the universe is finely tuned for life and intelligence. Neurobiology and stochastic processes reveal the unexpected sources of intelligence. Complexity, collectivity, and synergism highlight the interconnectedness of intelligent systems. Pondering the possibility of extraterrestrials and alien beings expands our reflection on the diversity of intelligences possible in minds shaped by the exigencies of varied environments.
Course Readings
Teleology, Darwinism, and the place of Man: Beyond chance and necessity in Towards a more natural science, Leon Kass (page 249 - 275)
Also a reading by Teilhard de Chardin from Terry Deacon
Get some readings from Nature's Destiny and one from Life's Solution by Simon Conway Morris (chapter on the noosphere)
Selected Readings from Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
Supplemental Readings
Origins of biological teleology: how constraints represent ends, By Terry Deacon
20) Intelligence, Transhumanism, and the Future of Humanity
"Evolution, which offers a passage to something that escaps total death, is the hand of God Drawing us to himself."
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1951)
"Sapiens will upgrade itself into another kind of being … within a couple of centuries at most, Earth will be populated by beings who are different from us in their cognitive and physical abilities. "
—Yuval Noah Harari, 2014
The future of humanity is increasingly intertwined with concepts of intelligence and transcendent visions of humanity (including technologically mediated transhumanism). Gene editing and guided evolution may present opportunities for enhancing human capabilities, while nootropics offer potential for educational and moral realignment. Brain-computer interfaces and the idea of the Noosphere, building on the human extensions envisioned in late 19th century Russian cosmism, reflect aspirations for technological and cosmic consummation, shaping our vision of the future of intelligence and the ultimate ends of humanity.
Course Readings
The Runaway Brain: the evolution of human uniqueness by Christopher Wills XVII - XXIV Page 303 - 311
Selected Readings from Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
Supplemental Readings
Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness, A Report by the President’s Council on Bioethics
Selected readings from Science and Religion in Search of Cosmic Purpose by John F. Haught