Unnerving Intelligence

Abstract

A variety of definitions of intelligence have been offered that are not exclusively human-centric. One, in particular, is taken as a starting point: end-directed behavior marked by the making of meaningful distinctions made possible by perception–action cycles. Specific examples of end-directed behavior are examined for evidence of three aspects of the kind of agency embodied in perception–action cycles, namely, prospectivity, retrospectivity, and flexibility. The chosen examples of behavior are nicely layered but otherwise unremarkable. Nonetheless, they all have an unexpected twist that challenges the kinds of explanations of intelligence qua agency that are rooted in neurobiology.