What is Intelligence: Definition and 202 Discussions

Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be described as the ability to perceive or infer information, and to retain it as knowledge to be applied towards adaptive behaviors within an environment or context.
Intelligence is most often studied in humans but has also been observed in both non-human animals and in plants despite controversy as to whether some of these forms of life exhibit intelligence. Intelligence in computers or other machines is called artificial intelligence.

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  1. S

    MIT maths for artificial intelligence

    I want to learn artificial intelligence, so I decided to learn maths. I began from one-variable calculus at MIT open course ware. And these lectures seemed to me very easy, especially compared with Apostol's or Spivak's calculus. So I want to ask is it enough MIT open course ware lectures for my...
  2. A

    Laser Physics or Artificial Intelligence

    Hello. I have a bachelor degree in physics and I'm an embedded programmer now. I would like to engage in scientific activities, but I can't choose the area: Laser Physics or Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning, Pattern Recognition...). I heard opinion that artificial intelligence - the...
  3. S

    Are Computational Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence the same?

    What is the real difference between computational and artificial intelligence?
  4. M

    Genetics and intelligence, is your intelligence determined from birth?

    This is a fairly taboo and controversial field. I've been hearing from many studies on intelligence, that it is highly heritable. Identical twins raised independent of each other have around a 0.75 relation in IQ tests. Siblings raised together have a .45 relation. What makes it worse is that...
  5. C

    Why do we assume we are the apex of intelligence?

    In fact, why do we assume we are intelligent.. AT ALL? Relativity is a troubling thing for me imho. We are intelligent as a species in relation to other species. Species that make us look smart when we're next to them; animals, insects etc. But some people seem to think, regardless of...
  6. S

    Mind boggled in regards to how S.A.T correlates with intelligence

    Mind boggled in regards to how S.A.T correlates with "intelligence" I apologize for posting this here but i was hoping for an intelligent discussion regarding the SAT. Doesn't the SAT just prove how knowledgeable you are? Because I've solved quite a number of problems, but have also failed...
  7. L

    Can Physics lead to an Intelligence Analyst career?

    I know this might sound like a very, very peculiar question, with a very, very peculiar description. Anyway, I am currently going for the fourth and last year of my curriculum in Physics school and I want to be completely honest with you before I even ask: I do have a noticeable bunch of courses...
  8. S

    Re: artificial intelligence tied to universe construct?

    So Briane Greene, in his documentary describes the idea that the future is already pre-existing due to the different time planes observed by an alien light years away. That is my interpretation at least. In the event this is true- it would imply that my future must already exist. In a way- no...
  9. S

    What's the difference b/w artificial intelligence & machine learning?

    It seems that for a machine to learn, it must have intelligence. :confused:
  10. A

    What Is the Key to Intelligence, Can One Really Get Smarter?

    Is intelligence the ability to imagine new prospects, and then follow them through? Is it raw computing skill, or the ability to focus various brain centers at once so a strong mind can juggle multiple problems at once (characteristic of Aspergers)? With goal directed activity, with a finish...
  11. O

    Do i want to be a mathematician just to prove my intelligence?

    i think i might possibly be the most confused person alive. i am not even sure if i enjoy math, let alone if i was smart enough to go that route. i was never in any sort of academic environment during my developmental elementary years. from high school to the every end of college i was bug...
  12. P

    Programs Best double major for Artificial Intelligence?

    Hi, what's the best double major for someone interested in succeeding in artificial intelligence research after college? Of course, Computer Science is primary. Or is it Computer Engineering? There's also mathematics and its subdivisions (like applied math or statistics), any of the cognitive...
  13. D

    Intelligence Enhancement using Viral Vectors

    I am starting this thread to discuss the ideas mentioned in 2 book I recently read called Wired and Amped. These books are based around what happened after a very gifted biologist used viral vectors, which are viruses bred and created to insert, fix, or alter genes in cells for a controlled...
  14. F

    Can there be an intelligence which is not evolutionary?

    Hello My question is for those who are interested in evolution and artificial intelligence: Can there be any kind of intelligence which is not based on an evolutionary selection process? I will try to explain why I ask this. With intelligence people usually mean devising an idea as...
  15. T

    Future Human intelligence: Superhuman

    I have watched next world'' Future Superhuman" and they shown what abilities and powers the human being will have in the future. They showned Telepathic communication and what it show is that we will speak to machines and make telepathic calls. Getting smarter was interesting. Digital eye...
  16. Monsterboy

    Reason behind Human Intelligence ?

    Balance ! this is all an ecosystem is about ,balance between predator and prey ,balance between births and deaths but why would evolution lead to a species that can overpower it's own predators and disrupt the entire ecosystem and multiply without any constraints,limited only by resources and...
  17. T

    Effects of social status on correlation between intelligence and life sucesss

    I've noticed an interesting observation about how the lives of all the people in my elementary AIG (academically intellectually gifted). Out of the 11 of us, the only two not to go to college came from very poor homes. (Even from the beginning, only 4 of us were the kids of a...
  18. Y

    Exploring Intelligence & Hard Work in Science Careers

    So I got to ask would most of you in the science field say you're above average intelligence, or do you think you're average but just put in a lot of hard work, or is it a combination of both? Also I'm not asking cause I have any interest in becoming a physicist, no thank you, but it was just a...
  19. J

    Can artificial intelligence truly replicate the complexity of the human brain?

    I don't know much about artificial intelligence and stuff but still a thought - If we are able to know completely about how our brain works we can design a chip that works like our brain right? Brain works through chemical and electrical signals so if are able to discover the functioning of...
  20. P

    Perception, Intelligence and Evolution

    At what point does perception enter the process of evolution. Are all the mechanisms of evolution 'blind'? In other words, it seems that a tremendous power is ignored - an organism can perceive their environment so why doesn't evolution capitalize on this instead of relying on random mutations...
  21. S

    What are ways to gauge one's own intelligence?

    I'm a freshmen Physics major interested in knowing whether I should continue on with my major. I've read enough to know that with an IQ of 120, basically anything is achievable given enough work. I am confident that I posses the drive to carry on with the major but I don't want to get half-way...
  22. M

    How do YOU define intelligence?

    What does it mean to you? sorry if this seems silly, but- i don't understand how something like intelligence can be quantified by an IQ test. Or why people think they're unintelligent and they can't do anything about it. Is it being really well-read? Is it knowing lots of crap? Is it how...
  23. F

    Can Aliens Evolve as Robots on Earth?

    I did not know where to put this so you can move accordingly. It seems like whenever people visualize aliens, we think of bug head big eyes, or some sort of nasty looking creature. My question is, is it possible for aliens to be ROBOTS? I don't mean robots as in, another race built them, but...
  24. pairofstrings

    Artificial Intelligence and other data processing technologies

    Hello everyone. We all know that conventional data computing technology is not sufficient to make complex mathematical calculations in some sense and we need to look at some other data computing technologies. I did some reading but could not deduce any answers for the following questions...
  25. A

    Career in Artificial Intelligence

    I know for a fact that all the relevant knowledge required to achieve this career, I will have to somehow get on my own. But I want to know which is the best "official" career path for me? Would it be electrical/computer engineering, neuroscience, or something else since my university does not...
  26. C

    Some thought experiment on intelligence

    Hey! This occurred to me in a conversation with a friend, so nothing overly serious. Suppose that through some means, for example a surgery, we could amplify the intelligence of people without altering the memories they accumulated throughout life, including how fast things proceed, like...
  27. G

    Would artificial intelligence and singularity mean the end of humanity?

    If you haven't seen the TIME article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2048299,00.html So what exactly would happen if AI became more intelligent than any human that could ever exist? What would stop such a machine from creating another machine more intelligent than itself ad...
  28. B

    Einsteins Brain and Human Intelligence

    Folks, I read an article in the Sunday Times as attached. How does this compare against the outcome of the autopsy performed on Einsteins brain? The article seems to be implying intelligence depends on only the miniaturisation of cells and the density of connections. Surely the evolution...
  29. Tungamirai

    Programming language and artificial intelligence

    What programming language is used when creating artificial intelligence.
  30. U

    Do you think there is an intrinsic merit to intelligence?

    I've been wrestling with this idea that, beyond the context of today's society, knowledge, intelligence, wisdom,...etc are essentially worthless and just as mundane and trivial as say... hair color. I can't reason why there is any true, logical justification of society's perception of...
  31. K

    Is Society's Focus on Scientific Intelligence Justified?

    Hello world. I wanted to get the opinion of some intelligent people (by which I use the term intelligent in the most general, lay-person sense) about intelligence itself.This could easily spiral into a lengthy essay on my part, so I will keep it simple and just jot down a few points and respond...
  32. M

    What is Our Place in the Cosmos and How Does it Impact Humanity?

    Our planet is a microscopic particle amongst the cosmos. Most people don't consider were drifting in it on a daily either. It's bizarre to come into the full recognition of societys primitive mindset. Not trying to be demeaning, my point is we can't even fathom how big, or our place in the...
  33. K

    Is 'Grouping' Intelligence Possible?

    I recently read a book on the theory of intelligence by Jeff Hawkins aptly titled 'On Intelligence' which I highly recommend. In it, Hawkins posits that the basis of human intelligence lies in the hierarchical structure of the neocortex. Reading this book started me thinking about whether...
  34. jhae2.718

    An experiment in artificial intelligence

    It's time to admit we haven't exactly been straightforwards with PFers. The user you know as jhae2.718 is not, in fact, a person at all, but rather an experiment in artificial intelligence that we have been running in our computer science department. One of our PhD students wrote her...
  35. N

    Take the Ultimate Intelligence Test Now | CBSTrials.com

    http://cbstrials.com/Open/Default.aspx?B_ID=279 They're calling it the "Ultimate Intelligence Test", it's actually twelve different tests designed to test varying aspects of memory and reasoning. It takes ~45 minutes to complete them all. Some of them were quite challenging. I'll post my...
  36. R

    IQ is supposed to be the measurement of your natural intelligence.

    IQ is supposed to be the measurement of your "natural intelligence." IQ is supposed to be the measurement of your "natural intelligence." However, can your IQ vary on how much brain activity you're doing? For instance, during the Summer a person is lazy and not doing any studying or anything...
  37. R

    Intelligence and Nomologicalism

    What is the significance of intelligence in a universe with deterministic laws? Your performance on any IQ test is not due to your possessing some property called "intelligence", but rather is an inevitable outcome of the universe's initial conditions and governing causal laws. The...
  38. J

    How would a 2 dimensional intelligence find out the world has 3 dimensions

    could you apply this to humans who are 3 dimensions and discover a 4 dimensions?
  39. R

    Fast progress artificial intelligence

    Although there is over the years some significant progress in artificial intelligence (computer beating human chess player, etc.) here is a method of advancing the field of artificial intelligence very fast. The idea is just this: brain cells, the neurons, even when the person is already...
  40. A

    Is Forehead Shape related to intelligence?

    Hi, Do different shapes of forehead indicate different degrees of intelligence? Considering humans, Is there any relation between intelligence and forehead shape? Thanks...
  41. K

    Could we even theoretically detect readio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence?

    I mean, several light years from here, is it possible to distinguish between the signals coming from Earth and the massive amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by our Sun? From a great distance, every solar system must appear dot-like. Is it possible that civilizations are actually...
  42. A

    What Determines the Differences in Life Across Different Planets?

    Newbie...first post...apologies in advance. How soon after the big bang could intelligent, technological life evolve?
  43. M

    A Workable Definition Of Intelligence

    With respects to the concept "artificial intelligence" (AI) there are some fuzzy edges, to say the least. What is intelligence? Is it defined by cultural parameters? Being "smart" is very likely to mean something completely different for a machine (AI) than for a man. I would say that it follows...
  44. B

    Is Intelligence Defined by DNA?

    When I was young I was told humans were intelligent. As I grew up i heard hwo other animals are intelligent (dolpins, elephants). But how do we define this word? Are single cell organisms intelligent? Are we to beelive there is some sort of line when things are not intelligent? By this...
  45. Loren Booda

    Are those of higher intelligence less likely to believe in intelligent

    Are those of higher intelligence less likely to believe in intelligent design?
  46. Pythagorean

    Navy says gamers have improved fluid intelligence

    Navy says gamers have improved "fluid intelligence" http://kotaku.com/5457590/us-navy-video-games-improve-brains-fluid-intelligence "We have discovered that video game players perform 10 to 20 percent higher in terms of perceptual and cognitive ability than normal people that are non-game...
  47. R

    How does a battery charger know when to stop charging?

    Dear Experts, I am fascinated how a cell phone battery charger knows when the battery is fully charged such that it cuts off the power to prevent further charging. If its based on sensing a particular voltage has been reached, i wonder how is that achieved? Or is it achieved by measuring...
  48. K

    Synthetic Intelligence through Quantum Mechanics

    Hey guys, I know this is the philosophy section but I was really interested in hearing your thoughts on a current subject I came to discover by surfing youTube. The video is quite long but I believe it is WORTH the watch. Interesting topics brought up on the future of synthetic...
  49. Pythagorean

    Medical Personality & Intelligence: The 50-50 Rule

    the rule: how adult personalities/intelligence turn out is due to: 50% genetics 0% family environment (how they're raised) 50% other environment (peers, media?, etc.) the question: 1) how seriously is this taken? 2) how do you divide family environment from other environment? I...
  50. S

    Photographic memory and perfect gpa, but i have low intelligence.?

    whats up everybody i just wanted to talk to you guys about a problem I am having.i am currently a college student with 4.0 gpa. now this my sound great but I've just taken 30 credits of gen ed courses. not easy but not hard either. Spanish 1 and 2, intermediate algebra, sociology, gen biology...
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