Cellular intelligence: Animal Algorithms reviewed (Evolution)

by dhw, Thursday, November 18, 2021, 11:28 (1099 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw: You always illustrate your belief in automaticity by referring to established systems. It is the solving of new problems and the ORIGIN of established systems that demonstrate intelligence. I will continue to point this out whenever you try to oppose the theory with your automatic examples.

DAVID: Yes, God's intelligence at work.

dhw: As above, then, all problems solved by direct divine dabbling or a divine 3.8-billion-year-old programme for all problems, life forms etc. to cover the rest of life’s history. […].

DAVID: The information required to run the new processes of new forms or originating life itself has a source. Mine is God.

The question whether cells are intelligent or not has nothing to do with the source of life, and whatever may be the information required to design new forms or to solve problems, it has to be processed, passed on to the rest of the body (= communication), and ultimately used in the formation of a decision. Processing information, communication, decision-making are all characteristics of what we call intelligence. When machines do such work, we call it artificial intelligence. When cells and organisms do it, we could call it natural intelligence. We don’t/can’t know the source of that intelligence, but I would certainly regard your God as being just as feasible as a lucky combination of materials.