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The moments the early Hominids became more than amateur rock throwers, learned to control fire, learned to chip a sharp edge on a rock ... was the start of discarding the necessity for a physical structure that enables our relatives (chimps, gorilas) to be five to fifteen times physically stronger than we are, the start of becoming the weak-jawed, small canines, weak biting, critter we are now.
Protection from predators was a powerful selection pressure, as much as the necessity to forage and hunt to get food, and our evolving hominid ancestors responded to it by the very risky strategy of cognitive development at the enormous risk of big-head birth through a narrower pelvis.
Of course, evolution has not stopped, and, many people today are as subject to existential threats to life as ever. But, very few people today are not using tools which, considered in an evolutionary time scale, are as remarkable as Homo Saps is.
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
modified 1-Aug-19 3:06am.
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No, but successful ambition requires intelligence.
Just make sure you don't assume morality in your definition of intelligence.
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an interesting post-priori way of looking at these hard to define constructs: perhaps ambition is what drives the development of intelligence ?
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
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we're apes with a parlor trick on a spinning ball of mud. it helps to have perspective. i like yours.
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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honey the monster, codewitch wrote: apes with a parlor trick on a spinning ball of mud
wonderful image ! imho, the greatest trick is ... drum roll ... language.
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
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I interpret the fall of man story in the Torah and in the old testament as in part, a lesson on what separates man from the rest of the animals.
Interestingly enough, the story seems to put it at the ability to develop and communicate moral frameworks or IOW, the knowledge of good and evil.
It's an interesting way to look at it in any case. Sometimes it's even elegant, as you pick it apart you realize that all the functionality that goes into that, language, the ability to see past our choices etc, could be argued as the things that make us human.
Anyway, just an aside. I like stories. =)
At one point, I put our parlor trick at the ability to negotiate, which is almost correct but not quite complete enough.
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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I'm just curious: have you read Pinker's "The Language Instinct" ? Are you aware of the interesting intellectual slug-fest between Chomsky/Pinker and Everett over the extent to which human language is innate ? [^].
Of course, I am prejudiced: as a poet since age 11, language has been my "thang" 
cheers, Bill
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
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I'm not, although I tend to believe that language for us forms the basis of our thoughts, so it is pretty intrinsic.
I married a polyglot who is into linguistics and and anthropology, so your question should be fielded to him.
He calls Chomsky "a f*cking genetivarist"
I am a little easier on him because his grammar hierarchy is inherently useful in computer science.
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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honey the monster, codewitch wrote: genetivarist
I'm curious as to what that means ? If what is meant is someone who advocates "Generative Semantics," that is a theory that opposes Chomsky's ideas.
Chomsky, due to his charisma, and high-profile liberal public political views and activities, is something of a bugaboo for many people. That has nothing to do with the discussion of the extent to which the theory of an "innate universal grammar engine" is the critical factor enabling the remarkable velocity of human children acquiring language/grammar.
fyi: Pinker, originally strongly influenced by Chomsky (one of his key mentors), later disagreed with many of his core concepts [^]
I will not respond to any further mentions of your significant other's knee-jerk reactions
«Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?» T. S. Elliot
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Someone who endorses the idea of generative grammars.
Generative grammar - Wikipedia[^]
Type-0 and Type-1 languages on the Chomsky scale, Chomsky presumably believes in a (theoretically possible) formal rule based system that could solve all the permutations of a language (in theory, in practice it takes forever - this is about the math tho)
I don't. I believe in particular what chomsky thinks are recursively enumerable languages actually defy the ability to completely formalize them mathematically.
but then I am not a generativist. =)
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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i meant generativist, sorry
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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The smartest AI will still need a 'why'. Two obvious possibilities emerge:
1 - it's given a 'why' (and thus a what) by a human or other and even more clever creature
2 - it generates it's own 'why' - and the only why relevant to the engine and it's physical components would ultimately come to self preservation (by enhancement).
(1) implies it to be no more than a tool - grandiose in scope, but a mere tool, to real intelligence (vs AI) that can have ambition.
(2) brings forth visions of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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now I'm going to forever think of Ctrl-Z, EOF (which i always call EOS) as Eater of Streams
You've just made programming for me a little more silly. Thank you for that. 
When I was growin' up, I was the smartest kid I knew. Maybe that was just because I didn't know that many kids. All I know is now I feel the opposite.
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Ambition is derived from need, and they might not need us that much
modified 20-Oct-19 21:02pm.
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Ambitiousness and competitiveness are the offspring of regressive genes.
A higher level of intelligence demonstrates that one has evolved beyond such primitive things.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I would laugh... if it wasn't so painfully true 
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As if they needed EA to mess up Star Wars.
I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them were cats.
His last invention was an evil Lasagna. It didn't kill anyone, and it actually tasted pretty good.
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and if microsoft made it?
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It would start out really good but with a few flaws, and slowly get more an more bloated and worse without any of the flaws actually being fixed.
Hang on a moment ...
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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OriginalGriff wrote: It would start out really good but with a few flaws, and slowly get more an more bloated and worse without any of the flaws actually being fixed.
...and once it's too late, you realize you would've been better off investing all that time in another movie franchise altogether.
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Payment received for the ideas of an assistant inspector (5)
Solution: Penny
The inspector in question is Inspector Gadget[^], and his assistant/sidekick is his niece, Penny[^].
The rest of the clue relates to the well known phrase, "A penny for your thoughts"[^]. In which the payment received for your ideas is a penny.
modified 31-Jul-19 8:01am.
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GRANT?
As in Inspector Alan Grant: Inspector Alan Grant Series by Josephine Tey[^] (Not that I've read any)
Sent from my Amstrad PC 1640
Never throw anything away, Griff
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Nope.
...are you ill? You're having an awful week with your answering 
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