If we’re looking at meta angles, reductionism itself is an obvious one, and is certainly necessary in the field of intelligence. Understanding an entire brain is a near impossible task if not broken up. Understanding a particular part of a brain that performs a particular function, while still very difficult, is more within reach. Understanding a sub component of that particular part is easier still. And so on and so forth.
Good point, I’ll add that to the article in a bit.
Reductionism seems to be our best angle of attack. It may not tell us much about minds in general, rather than just biological minds.
However:
Understanding a particular part of a brain that performs a particular function, while still very difficult, is more within reach. Understanding a sub component of that particular part is easier still. And so on and so forth.
The picture you paint suggests that once things are broken down we are done. However we also need to put them together again. For example we already understand atoms, therefore we have reduced the brain, sort of. So even if we understand neurons fully we may not understand the brain, if we don’t understand why they are hooked up the way they are. And while all activity is local in the brain, signals can travel very quickly between parts, so there is no guarantee of a clean modular design for higher level organization.
So how good an angle of attack it will be is uncertain.
If we’re looking at meta angles, reductionism itself is an obvious one, and is certainly necessary in the field of intelligence. Understanding an entire brain is a near impossible task if not broken up. Understanding a particular part of a brain that performs a particular function, while still very difficult, is more within reach. Understanding a sub component of that particular part is easier still. And so on and so forth.
Good point, I’ll add that to the article in a bit.
Reductionism seems to be our best angle of attack. It may not tell us much about minds in general, rather than just biological minds.
However:
The picture you paint suggests that once things are broken down we are done. However we also need to put them together again. For example we already understand atoms, therefore we have reduced the brain, sort of. So even if we understand neurons fully we may not understand the brain, if we don’t understand why they are hooked up the way they are. And while all activity is local in the brain, signals can travel very quickly between parts, so there is no guarantee of a clean modular design for higher level organization.
So how good an angle of attack it will be is uncertain.