Psychology - The Mind in the Machine - Essay Example

Intelligence When contemplating intelligence, the computer immediately comes to mind. A human brain assimilates and processes information in much the same way as a computer. However, because the mind of man possesses consciousness, it perceives beauty, generates moral judgments and formulates rationalizations which the machine cannot execute. When the computer was in its early development stages, it was thought of as an electronic, thinking device, the mechanical equivalent of the human brain. This misconception is a gross oversimplification of the seemingly limitless boundaries of the human mind. The potential of machines were thought to be able to eventually encompass “an inductive and creative mind, capable of taking initiative, to which human beings could confide all their problems and obtain instant solutions in return” (Ifrah, 1997: 1679). This misconception in the early days of the computer has carried over even to today. This discussion examines the functions of the human brain in addition to the meaning of knowledge and the limitations of machines as compared to the human mind. Mechanical computers, unlike the functions of the computer-like brain do not have the capability to determine right from wrong nor can they make judgments, have no feelings and cannot think on their own. Computers cannot reason, imagine, invent, create, express thoughts, manage ideas, make judgments or possess the ability to adapt to differing situations and therefore cannot solve problems that are new to them. Unlike the human brain, computers aren’t conscious of their own being, have no concept of the world around them and cannot execute voluntary activities (Ifrah, 1997: 1616). Because machines are only able to follow directives, they do not possess the capability to be self-aware. If it is accepted that computers do not and will never become aware of their own being, then it is reasonable to ask what enables the human’s biological machine to attain consciousness while the silicon-based computerized ‘brain’ cannot. Possibly, the answer to this question is the fact that the structure of the human brain is self-organizing. It responds to the individual characteristics and the independent nature of interactions between itself and the particular environment. However other natural, biological systems such as many types of simple ‘animals’ and all plant life encompass a multifaceted, self-organizing interrelationship within its inner mechanism yet are also not aware of themselves. This indicates that though self-organization is an essential precondition for intelligence, it’s insufficient by itself. The solving of a specific problem which requires generalization or searching is usually thought to be an indication of intelligence, which is understood to have an ‘all or none’ characteristic. Biological intelligence, on the other hand, includes progression. Even the less complex brains of animals can be differentiated from computers so as to illustrate the vast difference between the human and mechanized brain. The function of animals depends largely on customary behaviors. These functions define a progression. It can be reasoned that many types of animals possess at least a degree of human-like intelligence because they are able to exist in their biological environment. “In cognitive tasks of the kind normally associated with human intelligence, animals may perform well. Thus rats might find their way through a maze, or dolphins may solve logical problems or problems involving some kind of generalization” (Kak, 2005). In general terms, it is assumed that the activities that differentiate human intelligence from other forms of intelligence are best characterized by the understanding of language. Although it cannot be denied that those who are deaf or mute do in fact think, they do not speak at the same level as others. In addition, studies have shown that most types of animal life have the capability to learn and solve problems. The use of language is part of a compartment of a larger inventory of behaviors. The use of uninitiated language, no matter how primitive, is within the realm of biological beings alone. Human intelligence depends upon quantum mechanics which provides a means of acquiring information regarding a technique connected with a variety of attributes. “A quantum state is a linear superposition of its component states. Since the amplitudes are complex numbers, a quantum system cannot be effectively simulated by using random numbers. One cannot run a physical process if its probability amplitude is negative or complex” (Kak, 2005). Studies of neuroscience substantiate how particular parts of the human brain are devoted to various cognitive responsibilities. But these parts of the brain do not simply act to control signal processing; each functions within the world of its own unique experience and has the ability to generalize on an individual basis. This generalization process maintains new experiences and relates these to further cognitive activities within the brain. When the neurological method of brain activity is understood, it becomes apparent that the cognitive ability of the human brain cannot be reduced to the algorithmic, mechanical method by which computers operate. Viewed separately, each cognitive process is an operation that integrates into the ‘universal field of consciousness.’ Conversely, machines are based on classical computing principles and have a fixed universe of discourse so they are unable to adapt in a flexible manner to a changing universe” (Kak, 2005). This is why they cannot match biological intelligence. The quantum theory provides an understanding of how biological processes cannot be explained in similar terms as is the mechanical process. The protein sequencing progression is an example. Proteins, which are chains of amino acids, quickly fold into a specific structure that ultimately establishes its particular function within an organism. A high-speed computer would take over ten thousand years, it has been estimated, to apply a realistic set of rules for protein sequencing that would develop into the correct form even in a short chain of amino acids. However, natural biological functions take only a matter of seconds to correctly resolve the problem. This is because quantum natural computations are much quicker than mechanical computations. “The anomalous efficiency of other biological optimization processes may provide indirect evidence of underlying quantum processing if no classical explanation is forthcoming” (Fraenkel, 1999). Though the human mind travels very quickly, somehow, it is able to travel even quicker than studies have shown is possible. Individuals know, or can sense, information they did not previously have access to, commonly called intuition. Science has not discovered why the human brain yearns for what it doesn’t know. The reasoning for why the brain knows to perform a function then knowingly yearns for more knowledge or finds the procedure a fulfilling experience remains unclear. The fact remains that the phenomenon does exist. Consciousness exists only in the realm of the living which permits the knowledge of what is not known (Rosenblatt, 1982). The human mind has the ability to know what is morally right or wrong almost instantly without the need for assimilating much information. It can make decisions based on the unknown knowledge and can rationalize, justify and reason, all of which are traits only known to that which is conscious. Knowledge has no life; it is based only on cold facts whereas knowing is uniquely biological in nature. There is much puzzlement regarding knowledge and knowing. “Authentic knowing is much different from knowledge. Authentic knowing cannot really be owned as a possession. It can only be touched and experienced. Real knowing is actually an act of the mind. Unlike knowledge which is a product of the mind” (Kruyff, 2006). Because of our lack of true understanding regarding what comprises human intelligence and how it functions to deliver information so quickly, it remains impossible for us to accurately assess levels of intelligence among the species. Works Cited Fraenkel, A.S. “Protein folding, spin glass and computational complexity.” Third Annual DIMACS Workshop on DNA Based Computers. DIMACS Series in Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. Vol. 48, (1999), pp. 101-121. University of Pennsylvania. Ifrah, G. “Historia Universal de las Cifras.” Madrid: Espasa Calpe, 1997. Kak, Subhash. “Artificial and Biological Intelligence.” Ubiquity. Vol. 6, I. 42, (November 16-22, 2005). Kruyff, Jan. “Exploring Beyond the Ego Mind: An Essay on Transpersonal Knowing.” The Intuitive-Connections Network Online Magazine. (October 18, 2006). March 26, 2010 Rosenblatt, May. “The Mind in the Machine.” Time Magazine. (May 3, 1982). March 26, 2010 Read More