Consciousness & intelligence
Intelligence is the ability to conceive abstracts models and use them in a purposeful and effective way.
A machine might be able to do that some day although if someone already had one, I'm not sure we would know.
I don't know how to define consciousness. I just know what it's like to be conscious, when I am. And beyond my own but incontrovertibly private experience of it, it's supposed to be what all human beings normally experience subjectively whenever they're paying attention.
Self seems irrelevant here.
Does either require the other?
Intelligence is a capability. Consciousness seems more like a matter of fact. Is material existence necessary to intelligence? Who know? Can you be intelligent without being conscious? Who knows?
I suspect that consciousness and intelligence sort of have fed off each other in the development of us modern human beings. Still, that may only be an effect of perspective. Intelligence certainly allows us to discuss consciousness and thereby contributes to our understanding of it, and perhaps gives a false sense that we're more conscious for being more intelligent. Hard to tell.
I think it's probably all connected with this notion of the Cartesian Theatre, as a by-product, as I think of it, of evolution. I'm not conscious of the unconscious activity of my brain, obviously. So, consciousness either is compartmented, different parts of the brain being conscious for themselves, so to speak, and ignoring each other; or maybe there's only one small module that got to become conscious as a result of our evolution. Hard to know.
Still, we know we have this small module at least that's conscious. In a way that module is really us. The one thing we're conscious of because it's a conscious thing and it's us. So, this small module may well also be uniquely gifted with intelligence, at least if the gift of abstract thinking and planification is only really worth paying for in the module that is in charge of supervising what we do in the world. And that's what seems to be the usefulness of the Cartesian Theatre, which is broadly a model of whatever is necessary to be able to perform the necessary supervising, broadly all the functions you have to have in a control centre, only much more integrated. So, basically, what we are conscious of is really just that, our Cartesian Theatre. We literally take it for the real world. We can't even refrain from believing this. So, it's literally the stage where we can use and evolve our intelligence, our own kind of intelligence, if maybe machines may be thought of as having intelligence but of a different sort.
So, clearly, our kind of intelligence does require our Cartesian Theatre, which in turn seems to be closely connected to our ability to be conscious since we're only conscious of it. However, we should be aware, and if you're not just yet you're very soon going to be upon further reading, that a lot of our conscious thoughts are produced through various unconscious processes of our brain and indeed of our body. The beautiful view of the world we can enjoy is essentially produced outside our consciousness, inside our brain and outside of it since this process requires things we call eyes and that eyes are not all neurons. That much we all know, I guess. But most of our thoughts come through some unconscious processes. For example, if we have the impression that two mechanical parts should fit together neatly, well, that impression, though itself conscious, will be produced by some unconscious process somewhere inside our brain. And there's a lot like this beside impressions, although we do have an awful lot of them.
Still, as I see it, intelligence is about abstract thinking and abstract thinking does seem to take place essentially in our conscious mind. Presumably, for each abstract thought we will have, there will be a lot of unconscious caretaking going on in the shadows of our brain. Yet, what we think of as intelligence does seem to be associated with consciousness. Now, here is one clear example of an unconscious process that's necessary to our conscious intelligent thoughts (when we have them): That's logical intuitions. We can certainly have conscious logical thoughts, somewhat on the model of syllogisms, but our brain is also capable of assisting our intelligence through providing discrete but very effective logical intuition whenever it's necessary. So, it's fair to say that our intelligence seems to rely a lot on unconscious processes. Still, it would seem pointless to deny that intelligence is closely associated with our conscious Cartesian Theatre. It's its playground, so to speak. It's where it will be most useful and efficient. It's where thinking abstract thoughts and conceiving abstract ideas will prove more effective and productive.
So, without going on and on about it, it seems to me that consciousness and intelligence are closely linked. However, it may be that it's entirely incidental. And maybe the parts of our brain that couldn't be said to be properly intelligent are nonetheless conscious, if only for themselves, so to speak. Who would know except themselves?
And again, it might be that machines one day will be made really intelligent but perhaps without being conscious. Again, who could possibly know?
And, maybe, they might let us ask them the question.
EB
