Re: "Boy with Incredible Brain"

From: Tennessee Leeuwenburg (tennessee@tennessee.id.au)
Date: Wed Mar 22 2006 - 18:34:00 MST


> I think these kids could well be better than us at everything, and not
> just their savant-talent. Their moral centre, reasoning power, good
> looks and athletic ability could well be superior to us all. Add into
> that superhuman powers at certain useful feats and you have quite a
> little transcendant-compared-to-human-of-yesteryear package.

I think you're wrong. My understanding is that savant abilities simply
to not extend out to general intelligence. It just doesn't work that
way. They have rather engaged already powerful aspects of the human
brain to perform some specific kinds of routines which are not normally
related.

It is, in a sense, a failure rather than a success. Imagine having to
perform reasoning every time you want to reach out and grab something.
Ridiculous!

Cheers,
-T



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