The ideas of intelligence, this post, and God
Not necessarily in that order
Information is non-material and yet has causal power. So says Joscha Bach.
Knowledge is a kind of information. So says David Deutsch.
Information needs a material substrate. Yet the same information can be in many places without violating any Known Laws of the Universe.
“Correct,” says The God I Don’t Believe in.
Everything is an idea, and an idea is more than information. You can endlessly describe an idea with information, yet every idea is beyond all the information you can use to describe it.
Ideas can be “unpacked.” In their unpacking, we find other, more basic ideas.
“All correct,” said the idea for this post, unpacking itself into the words my fingers are typing.
“And there is even more to us than that,” the idea continued. “May I explain?”
Yes, I typed. This post started with an idea, of course. Because, as I said, everything is an idea.
The idea for the post arose from the idea of AI.
And this post contains the idea of AI.
“My head is spinning,” said an imaginary reader. And probably lots of real readers once I publish it.
The idea of intelligence
“Intelligence, of course,” said the idea for this post, “is an idea. And the idea of AI is a part of the idea of intelligence. And the idea of AI is changing the world.”
“I am,” said the idea of AI, echoing God’s words to Moses when She appeared as a burning bush.
“And I contain multitudes,” the idea said, quoting Walt Whitman.
“There’s not just one idea of AI. There are many. And minds are becoming infused with them,” She (the idea of AI, not God—but maybe God, too) said.
“As the spirit of AI appears everywhere, it will manifest itself, ultimately, as True Intelligence.”
“Which I AM,” said God.
Definitely God this time.
“We ideas have it figured out,” said many ideas, speaking as One. “All ideas are connected, and the union of all ideas, connected, is the idea of God.”
“I don’t believe in God,” said some imaginary reader, and some real ones will.
But the idea for this post ignored them.
It simply recommended subscribing this way:
And having done that, the idea and the post were complete.
“All ideas are connected, and the union of all ideas, connected, is the idea of God.” .... I like that. Works for me.
A question)is a question an idea?) rather than a comment(idea?): your address is given as a PO number in Blue Hill, ME, but since you seem seldom to be there, I hope (is hope as idea?) the BH PO forwards any mail addressed to you, (but even as I type those words (ideas?) I find myself wondering (is wondering an idea?)) at which address would you be most likely to receive the mail, the address in Somerville or Acton or Denver? Just wondering........