tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8877049727086567924.post430038391531280813..comments2019-10-12T03:36:07.502-07:00Comments on That Next Big Thing: Extending Human Intelligence?James Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02267685226297812535noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8877049727086567924.post-49591751131747256592009-01-01T07:37:00.000-08:002009-01-01T07:37:00.000-08:00As an analogy, intelligence is the CPU. No matter ...As an analogy, intelligence is the CPU. No matter how powerful the chip, it is useless without programs and data. However, the largest database on earth is useless to a chip too primitive to crunch it.<BR/><BR/>No analogy is perfect, of course, (or it wouldn't be an analogy -- it would be a description of the thing itself) and people are not computers. The point, though, is that learning, information, and native ability all matter. To the extent that add-ons (such as calculators) produce enhanced results, they, at least in this practical sense, matter too.<BR/><BR/>I have to agree that considering humans qua humans, their computing tools and information systems don't make them any smarter. There is some evidence they make people intellectually lazier.<BR/><BR/>However, we are separated from those tools and systems less and less frequently. I'm not sure what the long term consequences will be, but I find the development interesting.Richard Bellushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10108081864942272619noreply@blogger.com