Self-study
Support Taken as a whole, the computers that constitute the Internet form a complex, densely interconnected collection that transmits information like the neurons that form the human brain. ███ ████ █ ██████████ █████ ██████ ███ ████████ ██ ███████ ██ ████████ ██ ███████ ██ ██ ███ ██████ ████ ███ ████████ ██████ ████ ███████ ████ █ █████████ █████████████
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that the Internet will someday gain a humanlike intelligence. This is based on an analogy to the human brain. Computers that make up the Internet form an interconnected collection that transmits information, which is similar to how neurons form in the human brain. In addition, the Internet is growing at millions of points, which is similar to a developing human brain.
Identify and Describe Flaw
The author assumes that the superficial similarities between the Internet and a brain imply that the Internet will eventually gain a another similarity related to intelligence. This overlooks the possibility that there’s no connection between the existing similarities and the development of a similar intelligence.
24.
The reasoning in the argument ██ ████ ██████████ ██ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ██
a
equates the complexity ██ ██ ██████ ████ ███ ████████████ ██ ████ ██████
The author doesn’t assume that the more complex an entity is, the more intelligent. He notes that the Internet is similar to the brain in its complexity, but reasons that because of this similarity, another similarity will develop. This isn’t the same as equating two concepts.
b
fails to consider ███ ███████████ ████ █████ ████████████ ███ ████████ █████ ████████████ ██████ ███ ████████ ████ ██
The author doesn’t say the Internet will be the first to simulate humanlike intelligence. So this possibility doesn’t undermine the argument.
c
draws a dubious ███████ ███████ ███ ███████████ ████ ██ █████████ ██ ███ █████ █████ ███ ███ ███████████ ████ ██ ███████████ ██ ███ ████████
The analogy isn’t between the info processed by a brain and the info transmitted by the Internet. It’s between a brain and the Internet. They are similar in that they both have components that transmit info (computers and neurons). But this doesn’t suggest the info is analogous.
d
fails to give ██ ██████████ ██ ███ ███ ███████████████ ██ ███████ ██ ███ ██████████ ███ ███ ████████ ███████████ ██ █████████ ████████████
The author fails to show why the features it focuses on (manner of transmitting info, growing at millions of points) would lead to the development of intelligence. Why do these superficial features establish that the Internet will become intelligent? We don’t get any reason.
e
presumes, without providing ██████████████ ████ ███ ██████ █████████████ ███ ████████ ███ ██████████ ██ ██████████ █ ██████ ████ █████████ ████████████
The argument doesn’t assume anything about people’s interest. The argument is based only on an analogy between brains and the Internet, and none of the analogous features involve the interests of people.