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The Origin and Early Evolution of Intelligence

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Beyond Information

Abstract

The phenomenon of life — that is, the origin and evolution of living organisms on this planet — represents the best example of the origin and early evolution of the phenomenon of true intelligence known to us. Until recently it represented the only example. This has changed with the advent of machine intelligence—a matter to be discussed in later chapters. In this chapter we will explore the origin of proto-intelligent systems into pre-biotic ones, then look at certain aspects of simpler forms of intelligence as exemplified by plants and micro-organisms.

“…you can never get hold of the real beginning of anything” (Teilhard de Chardin 1956, p. 64).

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© 1992 Tom Stonier

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Stonier, T. (1992). The Origin and Early Evolution of Intelligence. In: Beyond Information. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1835-0_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1835-0_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-19654-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-1835-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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