This Engineer’s Definition

1. a state of matter/energy continuously running a vital, intelligent process in a cell or organism that sustains and perpetuates itself as distinguished from dead matter/energy.

The definitions in textbooks tend to be a long list of characteristics.  For example, Biology¹ devotes a page to the definition in a section entitled “Life defies simple definition.”  It then describes “seven characteristics:” Cellular organization, Ordered complexity, Sensitivity (response to stimuli), Growth, development and reproduction, Energy utilization, Homeostasis, and Evolutionary adaptation.  Biochemistry² devotes three pages in a section entitled “What is Life?”  The characteristics it describes are Complex and dynamic, Organized and self-sustaining, Cellular, Information-based, and Adapts and evolves.

The posited definition that life is an intelligent process whose purpose is to sustain and propagate itself is concise and accurate.  Life is an intelligent process at all levels.  Life’s creation was an intelligent process.  Early life cells were intelligent processes used to tera-form the earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and soil.  The creation of multicelled organisms that created a food-chain was a process.  The creation of abstract intelligent mankind was a process.  The creation-to death of each type of life form and each individual of the life form is a process.

Realizing that life is an intelligent process defines functionalities that must exist in it. Past wisdom was that life was all chemistry.  The tide is turning toward the realization that machinery is involved. We have learned a lot about life especially considering the fact that it is molecular machinery at the boundary of the micro and macro world. But the obstacles to instrument and measure at this size and speed scale make it impossible to reverse engineer life to any measure close to what we can with human creations. It appears that we learning a lot at the high, systems-level, but much less regarding how the molecular machinery works in detail.

However, knowing that life is a process implemented by molecular machinery, coupled with our ability to understand the functionalities required to make such machinery work, we can answer some questions such as whether or not the life machinery can be created, initial conditions for the life process set, and started by natural causes. We do not need to all the details how life achieves these functionalities – just whether natural causes are capable of creating them.   This knowledge defines the elements of functionality that must exist in the cell.  It also tells us that certain initial conditions had to exist to start life. Before we know what these conditions are, we need to better understand the process itself, including languages, algorithms, and protocols that exist to control and coordinate the process.

This Engineer’s Definition

1. The ability to make logical choices. (Logical Intelligence)
2. The ability to think, reason, design. and to have self-consciousness.  (Abstract Intelligence)

The two definitions listed here correspond (in reverse order) to the Webster definitions.  Logical intelligence is what is found in computer code.  Humans can design intelligent machines like computers and systems that use computers.  But humans do not have the capability to design abstract intelligent machines.  Many have argued that given time, we will learn to do this.  This engineer has his doubts. It is something we are gifted with, like migrating birds being gifted with the ability to find migration destinations, but neither we or migrating birds understand how we do it.

Intelligence is an entity unlike entities we understand from the physical sciences – we cannot write an equation using physics parameters that equate to intelligence.  We do not understand the relationship, if there is any, between a mind and physics.  Natural causes cannot make logical decisions, let alone perform abstraction.  Natural causes perform work that is defined solely by the laws of physics, not a mind.  Life, even though it follows the laws of physics, could not result from natural causes because of its embedded intelligence.  Only abstract entities that can perform intelligent work can produce machines.  Intelligence of any form has meaning only to an entity that has abstract intelligence.

Additional Clarification

For purposes of clarity and precision, there is a need to define different levels of capability and means of implementation of the term intelligence.  This is like the realm of space with levels of position, velocity and acceleration.  For the realm of intelligence, the levels would be information, logical intelligence, abstract intelligence and supreme intelligence.

Information

Specified Information is not intelligence per se, but it is a starting point for intelligent activity, like a point (position) is a starting point for considerations for distance, velocity and acceleration in the realm of space.

All matter can be defined by state variables that are information,  Matter (static) that has been manipulated by intelligent work, but is not a machine, is called a tool, and includes all human static creations such as entities we normally call tools such as a screwdriver, hammer or saw, but also with things like jewelry, art (paintings, pottery), glass, and building supplies (wood, nails). All these are creations by an abstract intelligent entity (humans).  A bird’s nest is made by a logically intelligent living entity (a bird).  All specified information comes from an intelligent entity.

Logical Intelligence

Logical Intelligence is the ability to perform logical functions, that is, to make choices (output) to achieve the desired end that dictates a logical algorithm that processes supplied information (inputs). 

Matter that has embedded logical intelligence is called a machine or a component of a machine.  Examples include mousetrap, engine, drill, watch, and computer.  Embedded logically intelligent devices require an abstract intelligent machine to actualize them, and the only example on earth is humans. Life also has embedded logical intelligence – it runs the life process going on in every living cell. Life, especially life with abstract intelligence is beyond the ability of humans, in my opinion.  This is the product of a supremely intelligent machine, with not only the ability to design, but build the cells.  This involves “hand building” the first molecular machines, which requires fingers orders of magnitude smaller than ours.

Neural Network Intelligence

As far as I know, virtually all animals have brains consisting of networks of neurons, axons and dentrites.¹  Some years ago, a reseacher from the University of British Columbia who was studying neural networks by observing the operation of some sea worm brain that consisted of 30+ neurons.  It was fascinating.  The description explained pre-knowledge, learning, forgetting, and why memeory isn’t always instantenous.  The description also explained how the brain controls actions, and why these actions can change with experience. 

Engineers can mimic a neural network using analog circuits.  However, the quantity of such elements and interconnections required this approach impractical.  However, digital computers can mimic neural networks with much less hardware but at the expense of lots of computing and are called artifical neural networks, (ANN).²  This use of ANNs is on the rise because solutions to many problems do not lend themselves to linear logic, e.g., face recognition or control of traffic lights. 

The machines in the cell use appear (to me) to be either logic or analog

Abstract Intelligence

Abstract Intelligence is the ability to think, reason, design and to have self-consciousness.

The only example on earth is human beings, which can be considered an abstractly intelligent machine.

Creation of humans requires intelligence much greater than ours and fingers much smaller.

Author’s Definition

1. An assemblage of parts that performs intelligent work.
2. An assemblage of parts designed and built by an abstract or supreme intelligent entity that manipulates matter and energy to achieve desired ends through means that follow the laws of physics, i.e., logically intelligent work.
3. An assemblage of parts that performs specified work, by performing an intelligent process that includes steps that sense and/or acquire conditional information, process this information to determine state changes to the system required to achieve the specified result, and control a raised free energy source using mechanism that causes these state changes to occur.

This definition is inclusive of all Webster’s definitions.  Intelligent work is defined as work that has a defined purpose.  The ability to perform intelligent work requires that the work performed is specified, that is, the correct action (consumption of energy to achieve a specified end) is performed.  This requires that the right amount of energy, of the specified form, is applied at the specified place, in the specified direction/orientation at the specified time.  Natural causes lack mechanisms to perform such work.

All living things are machines because they are entities that perform intelligent work.  However, they are much more than human designed machines due to the ability to reproduce, evolve, adapt, etc..

McIntosh’s definition limits machines only to devices that raise free energy, which may or may not be machines.  For example, DC-DC converters and heat pumps are machines whose sole purpose is to raise free energy.  A compressed spring and a solar cell are example of mechanisms that can create free energy, but are not machines according the this posited definition, and can only be created by machines.

Machines, by definition, have embedded intelligence, because to perform specified work, logical actions are required to do the specified manipulation of the matter and energy.  Machines, to manipulate matter and energy in a specified manner, must themselves be the result of intelligent work by a machine.

Machine function is the result of matter/energy following the laws of physics in the realm of science plus intelligent processing and action in the realm of philosophy.  Therefore, machines are entities that join these two realms.  The intelligent functionality in machines requires matter/energy to be held in a state away from equilibrium which requires the expenditure of energy running an intelligent process that requires specified mechanism and intelligent work to start the machine process.