Natures wonders: ants and other insects farm (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, May 04, 2020, 15:46 (1662 days ago) @ dhw

dhw: You said your view of intelligence was not the same as mine, so it would be interesting to know what are your criteria for intelligence.

DAVID: A mental process underlies all intelligence.

Yes of course, but what would you say were the attributes that would combine to form what you regard as intelligence? Would you agree with the little list below, now bolded?

DAVID: Animals and plants must have protective sensors to recognize problems.

dhw: As do we. The cognitive part is how they use these sensors to solve the problems – as do we. More progress: animals and plants have their own forms of cognition, memory, communication, information-processing, decision-making etc. – all elements of what we call intelligence.

DAVID: And I view these sensors as automatic protections, as usual.

dhw: So do I. Our own sensors are also automatic. As above, “the cognitive part is how they use these sensors to solve the problems – as do we.”

DAVID: When you touch a hot stove, your hand is moved before you have thought through what needs be done. That is the automaticity I'm describing.

dhw: Agreed. Hardly a problem. How about problem-solving?

DAVID: Requires mentation. Ants have brains and can make simple yes/no choices based on observations.

dhw: I don’t know how the invention of farming techniques can arise out of simple yes/no choices. But even a simple yes/no choice requires mentation/a mental process. So would you say that ants have a certain degree of autonomous intelligence?

To the degree they make either/or choices, yes.