[giardini]

catoc states, amongst other things, that: >"Intelligence is clearly possible."<

Perhaps not a citation but a proof is required here!

[catoc]

Clearly possible in humans - the statement in the parent I was replying to.

I would indeed definitely like to see proof - mathematical or applied - of in silico intelligence

[eru]

Do you expect silicon to be less capable of the necessary computation than cells?

[giardini]

At best, I'm asking for a clear scientific definition of intelligence. At worst I'm questioning its very existence.

[filoeleven]

If you haven't yet encountered it, check out Michael Levin's lab and work. Among other things, they are trying to figure out what "basal cognition" is; the idea being that even if we can't point to some dividing line in the end, we'll have a better understanding of what cognition is and where it shows up. And it shows up surprisingly far down!

The definition of "intelligence" that he works with comes from William James: the ability to achieve the same goal by different means. It's a useful definition, given the remarkable stuff coming out of his lab.

[giardini]

I would indeed definitely like to see proof - of intelligence!