The Intelligence Age
Article

Some problematic definitions of intelligence

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The previous article in the sequence is Common traits of flawed definitions.

Let’s consider some sensible-sounding but problematic definitions of intelligence.

Understanding abstract concepts & relationships

Intelligence is the
capability to understand abstract concepts and their relationships.

  • No, not all forms of intelligence require understanding abstract concepts nor relationships.

Acquiring & applying knowledge while adapting to its environment

Intelligence is the
capacity to acquire and apply knowledge while adapting to environmental changes.

  • Adapting to environmental changes is not necessary. Some forms of intelligence are more adaptive than others, sure, but this is not essential to the definition.

  • Acquiring knowledge implies that some sort of learning has to happen, but this is not necessary. Some agents only have static intelligence.

  • Applying knowledge is unnecessary and distracting; it suggests the agent has knowledge which it consciously processes and applies to some situation.

Allocating cognitive resources to achieve goals

Intelligence is the
effective allocation of cognitive resources to achieve goals.

  • No, intelligence need not be efficient, however you define it. Agents will vary in this dimension.

  • Introducing the phrase cognitive resources doesn’t clarify the definition; rather, it makes us wonder what qualifies as a resource and what makes it cognitive.

  • Why does the definition emphasize allocation of cognitive resources? This seems to suggests a kind of adaptive intelligence – one that can ramp up or down based on varying conditions. As mentioned above, such a property may be useful, but it hardly seems necessary.

Ability to process complex information and generate novel solutions

Intelligence is the
ability to process complex information and generate novel solutions.

  • No. Novelty is not required. Achieving a goal repeatedly in the same manner is fine. While creativity and variation are often considered to be higher forms of intelligence, they are not necessary. A good definition should work across a wide range of intelligent agents.

  • What is complex information? This is unclear. Is there a threshold where simple enough becomes complex?

  • Furthermore, why must the information be complex, however we define it? Sometimes processing even simple information can be quite difficult as even simple information can have complicated implications.

Faculty to predict and respond to future states

Intelligence is the
faculty to predict and respond to future states.

  • The core idea of intelligence doesn’t require prediction. All that is needed is action.

  • Why bring time into the definition? Does this add to the definition? Isn’t it obvious that an intelligence exists in time?

  • At the risk of being pedantic, some intellectual problems exist outside of time. This includes many problems in mathematics and logic, such as forward-chaining over a set of rules.

Capacity to identify and navigate paths to desired outcomes

Intelligence is the
capacity to identify and navigate paths to desired outcomes.

  • The language around “paths” suggests these is some kind of planning mechanism. But not all intelligent agents require planning in any traditional sense; some can be purely reactionary.

  • The language around “identifying paths” might be taken to include some kind of conscious awareness, which is not necessary.

Others?

What other definitions have you seen? How do they hold up to criticism?

In the next article, I offer a better definition.

The next article in the sequence is Russell’s definition of intelligence.