Human Definition, Evolution, and the Nature of Intelligence

What Defines Us as Human Beings?

What are the essential characteristics that define us as human beings? We can approach this question by comparing ourselves with other creatures, examining their senses, abilities, and manifestations of animal intelligence.

Comparison with Other Creatures

We must look backward at our distant ancestral past and forward at the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

Key Human Characteristics

• The capacity to communicate, interact, and exchange thoughts or different points of view.
• The ability to subsist by working and creating new social links with people.

We are different from animals, yet fundamentally similar in the drive to subsist and stay alive. However, while animals behave in a wild way, humans are expected to behave in a civilized manner within their environment.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

A critical question in modern science is whether a computer is truly thinking. This relates directly to the concept of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

The Turing Test

The Turing Test assesses whether a computer can fool a human interrogator into believing it is human, thereby demonstrating machine intelligence.

Evolutionary Adaptations Defining Humanity

1. Specific Developments in Early Primates: Adaptations to Tree Life

   • Front-Facing Eyes: Essential for depth perception.
   • Post-Orbital Septum: Bone structure behind the eye socket.
   • Fovea: A concentration of photoreceptor cells in the center of the retina, enhancing visual acuity.
   • Color Vision: Possessing three types of photoreceptors, allowing primates to discern between good food sources.
   • Facial Recognition and Expression: The ability to recognize individuals and read emotional states at a distance.

2. Specific Developments in Early Homo: Adaptations to Life on the Ground

   • Early hominins chose to eat meat.
   • Tool use became prevalent.
   • Control of fire.
   • Hunting and scavenging for meat, which contributed significantly to brain growth.

Concepts of Mind and Cognition

Psychosis

Psychosis is defined as a disconnect from reality, characterized by a specific set of symptoms like hallucinations and delusions.

It is often associated with an underlying genetic predisposition toward specific mental illnesses, including: Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Schizophrenia. Psychosis can be triggered by factors such as head injury, severe stress, drug use, or trauma.

Intelligence

Intelligence is the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge, the faculty of thought and reason, the capacity of understanding, and the ability to perceive and comprehend meaning.

The Nature of Intelligence: Unitary or Modular?

1. Unitary Intelligence

   Is intelligence one single thing? Does one central potential “horsepower” drive all of our mental processes? An example of this concept is the G-factor (general intelligence factor) used in the IQ model.

2. Modular Intelligence

   Do our different mental processes develop somewhat independently from each other, suggesting specialized modules rather than a single unified capacity?