"Real" ringworlds

[Fyron]

Ummm... narf, chemicals do not have to be intelligent for the sum total of what is composed of those chemicals to be intelligent.

The theory of evolution DOES NOT make any claims as to how life began, only as to how it changes.

You do not rule out the theory of evolution; you in fact are good evidence of it's validity.

I think you should go do some research on evolution (on university web sites and such, not random .coms, or better, in books and such ) and stop posting about it until you learn what evolution actually is.

[ May 15, 2003, 08:51: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[Ruatha]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
from an evelotionary point of view, where chemicals and electromagnatism and electricity. none of these explains intelligence, becuase none of these has been shown to have intelligence.

All brain functions are the result of chemical and electrical signal and morphlogy.
It's easy to map brain functions to different areas using functional MR scans and PET scans during brain activities.
Brain damage affects the brain functions (Cognitive, emotional, functional) in a predictive way.

True we have barely touched the surface of the knowledge required to fully understand the way we think, but we are moving along and learning more for each day.
It seems very propably that we one day will understand it completely.
It is after all based on the natural laws, it's all chemistry and electricity.

That doesn't imply that that's all we are, we are more than the sum, but that is also true of most complex things.
Take a pen for example, it's clearly more than the sum of it's parts.
(And no, I do not say that we are the same as a pen )

All this doesn't rule out the possibility of a deity if you are inclined to belive in such.

[ May 15, 2003, 09:05: Message edited by: Ruatha ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

ok. something quick. i am trying to change my sleeping hours. therefore, i am tired and sound less comprehensible than i am. but, i have made a point.
you cannot make something more complex and expect it to get intelligent. you can only say that in theory, while in fact there is no link.
now, i must sleep.

[ May 15, 2003, 09:18: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

[Fyron]

Actually, you can. It happens every second of every day, and has been happening for every second of every day for all of eternity. All systems get more complex as time goes on. Entropy is always increasing. More chaotic systems are be definition more complex.

[Primogenitor]

Complexity does not mean intelligence. But then what is? Computers can do math faster, store more data, but are they inteligent? Where in the animal world do you draw the line? are dolphins/whales smart? What about apes/monkeys?

This is getting rather Zen. Or maybe it isnt because it doesnt exist? Who am I, Am I Me? Since this entire thread is mearly an imterpretation of an arangement of magnetic feilds and electrons, does it exist?

[dogscoff]

you cannot make something more complex and expect it to get intelligent.

We're not doing that- not every complex system is "expected" to gain intelligence. For example no-one is expecting the global telephone network to suddenly achieve sentience. (although that would make a cool scifi book=-)

However, it is scientifically provable that at least one very specific kind of complex structure (the brain) gives rise to (or is required to harbour) intelligence.

Your argument seems to be equivalent to "this bit of unrefined metal can't open a tin, therefore tin openers do not exist."

[dogscoff]

Where in the animal world do you draw the line?

that depends entirely on how you define intelligence/ sentience.

Why does there have to be a line anyway? Why not just have a big, vague sliding scale? Better yet, a six-dimensional graph with lots of axes and different colours.