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How long did it take for intelligence to exist in the universe?
- Thread starter idav
- Start date
Maybe a definition would help. When would these characteristics apply to anything. Before, the beginning or sometime after existence came to be.
in·tel·li·gent
   /ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt/ Show Spelled[in-tel-i-juhnt] Show IPA
adjective 1. having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: an intelligent student.
2. displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment: an intelligent reply.
3. having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence: intelligent beings in outer space.
4. Computers . pertaining to the ability to do data processing locally; smart: An intelligent terminal can edit input before transmission to a host computer. Compare dumb ( def. 8 ) .
5. Archaic . having understanding or knowledge (usually followed by of ).
in·tel·li·gent
   /ɪnˈtɛlɪdʒənt/ Show Spelled[in-tel-i-juhnt] Show IPA
adjective 1. having good understanding or a high mental capacity; quick to comprehend, as persons or animals: an intelligent student.
2. displaying or characterized by quickness of understanding, sound thought, or good judgment: an intelligent reply.
3. having the faculty of reasoning and understanding; possessing intelligence: intelligent beings in outer space.
4. Computers . pertaining to the ability to do data processing locally; smart: An intelligent terminal can edit input before transmission to a host computer. Compare dumb ( def. 8 ) .
5. Archaic . having understanding or knowledge (usually followed by of ).
outhouse
Atheistically
Could you get him to post a reply?
darkendless
Guardian of Asgaard
By the way, what is the evidence that the universe is intelligent?
Mr Spinkles
Mr
Well, the universe began as a hot dense plasma. A plasma is not intelligent by any stretch of the definition, so no, the universe did not start out intelligent. I would say based on our understanding of the evolution of the universe, that intelligent things did not emerge until space expanded, matter collapsed into stars, and stars turned hydrogen into enough heavier elements (carbon, etc.) to make complex chemistry and ultimately living organisms possible. That would be at least 1 billion years after the first moments of the big bang, and at most 14 billion years (the known time of emergence of intelligence on Earth).
Doesn't intelligence exist?
That would be if it was born intelligent. Would intelligence just start growing out of something that is unaware?
Good question. The universe started it all so when does intelligence come into play, is it inherent?
PolyHedral
Superabacus Mystic
Yes. It's just computation after all, and matter can compute just fine.
So it just has potential for intelligence or is already intelligence? I would say it is already data with the possibility of computing the data.
Mr Spinkles
Mr
This question becomes very easy to answer once you get specific. Is a cloud of dust and gas intelligent? Clearly not. Otherwise, the term "intelligence" is rendered meaningless. On the other hand, are brains, computers--even maybe cells--intelligent? Clearly yes. Since we know the universe was entirely gas and dust for a time, and brains and computers emerged later, it follows that the universe itself did not start out intelligent. Rather, the universe had the potential for intelligent things to emerge within it.
The more difficult questions are: how did / can intelligent things emerge from unintelligent matter? And, what exactly are the characteristics which distinguish what we intuitively recognize as "intelligence"?
I think that's a fine way of putting it.
shawn001
Well-Known Member
As far as we know you have to have a nervous system. That evolved around 5 hundred million years ago. Some prehistoric animals probably had some simple intelligence.
New research on dinosaurs also have shown some of them to be social.
We don't know if intelligent life forms on other planets evolved before we did.
New research on dinosaurs also have shown some of them to be social.
We don't know if intelligent life forms on other planets evolved before we did.