I completely agree. I am just saying you can’t divorce the decision to label something as ‘intelligent’ from the ethical discussion of what such a label might imply. If labeling something as ‘intelligent’ has no consequence whatsoever, and is just a purely quantitative measure of the capacity to perform an action, then it’s just a pedantic matter of definitions. The only part of any interest is whether something hangs in the balance over the decision to label or not label something intelligent.
Then the first label of intelligence is merely a definition about capacity to perform a measurable action, and any argument over it is just pedantic hair splitting. Note that I don’t take this view, because in practice, lots of things hinge on whether we consider someone or something else to be intelligent. Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace is a great essay about this, though its focus is on cross-species ethical obligations and why we do/do not feel they are important. But clearly the more “sentient” something is, the more ethically we treat it and the more effort and social moral stigma that goes into it. And this is largely judged by tiny little Turing tests going on all day every day.
I completely agree. I am just saying you can’t divorce the decision to label something as ‘intelligent’ from the ethical discussion of what such a label might imply. If labeling something as ‘intelligent’ has no consequence whatsoever, and is just a purely quantitative measure of the capacity to perform an action, then it’s just a pedantic matter of definitions. The only part of any interest is whether something hangs in the balance over the decision to label or not label something intelligent.
Sure you can. These are two independent steps, they needn’t be taken together.
Then the first label of intelligence is merely a definition about capacity to perform a measurable action, and any argument over it is just pedantic hair splitting. Note that I don’t take this view, because in practice, lots of things hinge on whether we consider someone or something else to be intelligent. Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace is a great essay about this, though its focus is on cross-species ethical obligations and why we do/do not feel they are important. But clearly the more “sentient” something is, the more ethically we treat it and the more effort and social moral stigma that goes into it. And this is largely judged by tiny little Turing tests going on all day every day.