[9fans] Hofstadters ideas for how brains work

[9fans] Hofstadters ideas for how brains work

[mycroftiv]

In Gödel Escher Bach by Hofstadter there is a wonderful dialogue
called "Ant Fugue" and it explores the idea of an ant colony as a
conscious mind.  Even though each ant is just following
near-mechanical rules, the behavior of the colony as a whole can
exhibit intelligence, and Dr. Anteater explains that even though he
eats ants, he is friends with several ant colonies.

Why not make a group of computers able to work together like an ant
colony, instead of a rigid structure like a grid?  Maybe the way to
make computers truly intelligent and flexible is not with more
complexity and higher-level organization, but use Hofstadter's ideas
and work from the bottom up.  Just let there be a lot of different
tunnels and chambers (namespaces) and tons of ant trails carrying data
back and forth (mux-pipes) and let it all be free-form and grow however
the little ants want to scurry.

Maybe that would be a good way to build a more flexible computer
system that could evolve toward the same kind of emergent intelligence
that Dr. Anteater described in Douglas Hofstadter's Ant Fugue from GEB.

Re: [9fans] Hofstadters ideas for how brains work

[Kurt H Maier]

On Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 01:58:31AM +0000, mycroftiv@sphericalharmony.com wrote:
> the behavior of the colony as a whole can exhibit intelligence,
...
> Why not make a group of computers able to work together like an ant
> colony, instead of a rigid structure like a grid?

Question answered before it is asked

khm