> If intelligence is fundamentally linked to specific sensorimotor modalities, a specific environment, a specific upbringing, and a specific problem to solve, then you cannot hope to arbitrarily increase the intelligence of an agent merely by tuning its brain — no more than you can increase the throughput of a factory line by speeding up the conveyor belt.
The latter part makes no sense at all. Of course you can increase the throughput of a factory by speeding up "the conveyor belt"--a standin for the complex processes going into manufacturing.
The whole statement is also wrong. Of course you can increase intelligence by optimizing the process of learning. Fewer trials, quicker reactions, faster construction of models, more complex understanding of fundamentals of a given problem.
The author makes broad assertions like this with glaring holes with zero evidence.
The latter part makes no sense at all. Of course you can increase the throughput of a factory by speeding up "the conveyor belt"--a standin for the complex processes going into manufacturing.
The whole statement is also wrong. Of course you can increase intelligence by optimizing the process of learning. Fewer trials, quicker reactions, faster construction of models, more complex understanding of fundamentals of a given problem.
The author makes broad assertions like this with glaring holes with zero evidence.