Here's a question for Eli and/or other readers: is human intelligence somehow qualitatively different than animal intelligence, or do humans just have MORE intelligence than animals?
In other words, should we interpret the amazing success of human intelligence as simply the result of a phase transition in the relationship of intelligence vs. success? Or do humans have some actual computational ability not present in animals?
Furthermore, can we settle this question empirically? If we genetically engineer a tribe of apes to have far greater intelligence than normal apes, will they begin to understand mathematics, language, and technology?
There was recently a big debate in the world of linguistics regarding the question of what computational ability actually underlies language. Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch wrote in a paper called "The Faculty of Language: What is it, Who has it, and How did it Evolve" that the fundamental computational ability was (drum roll...) recursion. Pinker and Jackendoff wrote a critical response, and Hauser's own later research seems to suggest that the ability to use recursion is NOT unique to humans (songbirds can learn certain types of recursive grammars) so the question appears to be open.
My Bloggingheads.tv interview with Jaron Lanier is up. Reductionism, zombies, and questions that you're not allowed to answer:
This ended up being more of me interviewing Lanier than a dialog, I'm afraid. I was a little too reluctant to interrupt. But you at least get a chance to see the probes I use, and Lanier's replies to them.
If there are any BHTV heads out there who read Overcoming Bias and have something they'd like to talk to me about, do let me or our kindly producers know.