Sorry, I could have been clearer. The empirical evidence I was referring to was the existence of human civilization, which should inform priors about the likelihood of other animals being as intelligent.
I think you are referring to a particular type of “scientific evidence” which is a subset of empirical evidence. It’s reasonable to ask for that kind of proof, but sometimes it isn’t available. I am reminded of Eliezer’s classic post You’re Entitled to Arguments, But Not (That Particular) Proof.
To be honest, I think the answer is that there is just no truth to this matter. David Chapman might say that “most intelligent” is nebulous, so while there can be some structure, there is no definite answer as to what constitutes “most intelligent.” Even when you try to break down the concept further, to “raw innovative capacity” I think you face the same inherent nebulosity.
Sorry, I could have been clearer. The empirical evidence I was referring to was the existence of human civilization, which should inform priors about the likelihood of other animals being as intelligent.
I think you are referring to a particular type of “scientific evidence” which is a subset of empirical evidence. It’s reasonable to ask for that kind of proof, but sometimes it isn’t available. I am reminded of Eliezer’s classic post You’re Entitled to Arguments, But Not (That Particular) Proof.
To be honest, I think the answer is that there is just no truth to this matter. David Chapman might say that “most intelligent” is nebulous, so while there can be some structure, there is no definite answer as to what constitutes “most intelligent.” Even when you try to break down the concept further, to “raw innovative capacity” I think you face the same inherent nebulosity.