OK, here I think is the simplest test of adaptivity that cuts right to the heart of the matter, and provides the most central measure of ADAPTIVE (i.e. DIVERGENT) intelligence as distinct from CONVERGENT, algorithmic intelligence.
My assumption: your system has this agent/guy moving around a home/office environment. [Adjust question accordingly if not] He has a simple task: "Move from A to B or D". But the normal answer "Walk it" is for whatever reason no good, blocked. The simple test is this: how many alternative ways of moving from A to B, will the system (his brain) be able to search for and find? [Sub-questions: how will alternatives be laid out in memory, and how will the system search for them?] That's the basic test of adaptivity : HOW MANY ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF ACHIEVING ANY GOAL CAN A SYSTEM FIND? The obvious point here is that the human brain can find a VAST number of ways of moving from A to B, and achieving most goals. Your brain should have no serious difficulty producing thousands of ways for that guy to do it, although you'll quickly slow down in the pace at which you produce them. It may take quite a while (or not in your special case) before you get to "get someone with a wheelbarrow to push him." This resourceful capacity is the central source of the human mind's adaptivity and creativity. [Most people, however, I would argue, do not APPRECIATE the unlimited resourcefulness of the human brain (that it just won't stop looking for and finding alternatives if you ask it) - as soon as you do, you realise that you and everyone else can be as creative as you want to be]. Comments about how the human brain does this? P.S. It may be better to talk of alternative "FAMILIES or CLASSES of ways" of doing things/ reaching goals, since each may involve many variations. "Walk" for your system might involve "step slowly", "stroll", "walk medium pace," "walk fast" even "walk sideways" "walk backwards" etc. ----- This list is sponsored by AGIRI: http://www.agiri.org/email To unsubscribe or change your options, please go to: http://v2.listbox.com/member/?member_id=231415&user_secret=fabd7936
