Lemme break that down a bit:
In order to claim a superlative like "genius," must one accomplish the "genius"-worthy task intentionally?
Does genius demand consciousness? Intention? Or is it the recognition of the proper value of the "accident" the real work of genius?
I don't know. Do you?
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6.11.2012
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I do think sapience without sentience should be theoretically possible (by a very non-human being). It would probably be an almost-instinctual, reflexive genius since knowledge almost could not have been acquired through conscious learning. Conscious learning requires a desired outcome and the ability to assess if that has been reached, and that requires at least a rudimentary consciousness. Since it has little or no learning ability (just vast knowledge), it probably does not count as a genius.
ReplyDeleteThere are many geniuses on Earth who couldn't guess at the true value of their own work until long after it was completed. I wouldn't rescind their genius title for that, since who can be expected to guess how accomplishments could be combined with future discoveries, or the multitudes of ways it could be re-purposed?