An expert on mind considers how animals and smart machines measure up to human intelligence. Octopuses can open jars to get food, and chimpanzees can plan for the future. An IBM computer named Watson won on
Jeopardy! and Alexa knows our favorite songs. But do animals and smart machines really have intelligence comparable to that of humans? In
Bots and Beasts, Paul Thagard looks at how computers ("bots") and animals measure up to the minds of people, offering the first systematic comparison of intelligence across machines, animals, and humans.
Thagard explains that human intelligence is more than IQ and encompasses such features as problem solving, decision making, and creativity. He uses a checklist of twenty characteristics of human intelligence to evaluate the smartest machines--including Watson, AlphaZero, virtual assistants, and self-driving cars--and the most intelligent animals--including octopuses, dogs, dolphins, bees, and chimpanzees. Neither a romantic enthusiast for nonhuman intelligence nor a skeptical killjoy, Thagard offers a clear assessment. He discusses hotly debated issues about animal intelligence concerning bacterial consciousness, fish pain, and dog jealousy. He evaluates the plausibility of achieving human-level artificial intelligence and considers ethical and policy issues. A full appreciation of human minds reveals that current bots and beasts fall far short of human capabilities.
一位專家在心智領域考察動物和智能機器與人類智慧的比較。章魚可以打開罐子取食物，黑猩猩可以計劃未來。一台名為華生的IBM電腦在《危險邊緣》節目中獲勝，Alexa知道我們最喜歡的歌曲。但是，動物和智能機器真的具有與人類相當的智慧嗎？在《機器人與野獸》一書中，保羅·塔加德（Paul Thagard）探討了計算機（“機器人”）和動物與人類心智的比較，提供了首次對機器、動物和人類智慧進行系統性比較的研究。
塔加德解釋了人類智慧不僅僅是智商，還包括問題解決、決策和創造力等特徵。他使用了一個包含二十個人類智慧特徵的檢查表，來評估最聰明的機器（包括華生、AlphaZero、虛擬助手和自動駕駛車）和最聰明的動物（包括章魚、狗、海豚、蜜蜂和黑猩猩）。塔加德既不是對非人類智慧的浪漫狂熱者，也不是懷疑論者，他提供了一個清晰的評估。他討論了關於動物智慧的熱烈爭論，包括細菌意識、魚的痛苦和狗的嫉妒。他評估了實現人類水平人工智能的可行性，並考慮了倫理和政策問題。對人類心智的全面理解揭示了當前的機器和野獸遠遠不及人類的能力。
Paul Thagard, a philosopher and cognitive scientist, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Brain-Mind, Natural Philosophy, The Cognitive Science of Science, Hot Thought, Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Science (the last three published by the MIT Press), and many other books. He writes a popular blog for Psychology Today and can be found at paulthagard.com.
