Where does intelligence come from? How can we explain that in a physical world populated by living systems, the capacity that we call intelligence developed? Astonishingly enough, we have hardly any theory about this. Science has developed reasonable, although still debated, theories of the origin of the universe, such as the Big Bang theory. There are also theories of the origins of galaxies, of the earth and the moon, and of geological structures. There are theories of the origin of life, the diversity of species, and the origin of Man. So, why don't we have a theory of the origin of intelligence.
The reason is partly that for many people no such theory is needed. Mind is eternal, they say, belonging to a Platonic universe. Seeking an explanation for its origins is therefore absurd. Such a Platonic view is still common today with mathematicians like Penrose [15]. However it is not a scientific explanation. It is similar to the earlier view that the origin of the universe needs no explanation because it has always been there and will always be there, or that all the different species, including Man, were created in a few days by an omniscient being. If we want a scientific theory of the origins of intelligence, we must close the gap between the basic laws of physics and biology and theories of intelligence. Right now the gap is enormous and it can only be closed by working from both sides.
This paper raises a few issues and provides some directions and experimental approaches for addressing the question of the origins of intelligence. No clear definite answer can be given yet, although a way can be pointed out. The first section defines intelligence as a continuum with current biological views of living systems. It is only by having such a definition that we can hope to pinpoint precisely where intelligent systems outgrow living systems.
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