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Sunday, October 02, 2005
Consciousness vs Intelligence
P
sychologists have been debating the definition of intelligence for 100 years. There are many variants in college textbooks, but the one that I have been inclined to use in conversations and discussions over the years is "the ability to learn from and adapt to the environment."
T
hat is exactly what evolution does. So if it seems that an intelligent hand has been at work in designing modern life, it has. It has been called natural selection. It is anything but a random process. Rather, it is a decision system that constantly is challenged by the environment and tends toward adaptiveness.
I
think the intelligent-design people must be confusing intelligence with consciousness. Evolution is not conscious. It has no plans.
Posted by fm on October 02, 2005 at 12:26 AM