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| On a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago |
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| James Mark Baldwin |
In Theory of Algorithms, I define algorithms in conceptual, mathematical, and practical terms. As such, I present them more as "smart organisms" rather than just a set of formulas or list of procedures. One, I mean that they first grasp the nature of a problem, then work systematically to solve it. Two, they learn from experience, revise themselves accordingly, then adapt how they solve particular problems. No such technology or application exists. So, in essence, what I refer to when I say "smart organism" is our mind. We ourselves are the smart organisms, though we mostly do not act as such, in my estimation.
James Mark Baldwin was an American psychologist and philosopher, who also contributed to theories on evolution. I was quite intrigued by his quote above, as evolution does figure well in my theoretical framework. I come to realize, then, that the process of heredity isn't just one of adaptation, but also one of intelligence. In a way, heredity speaks to the essence of how we may learn about, and consequently adopt and apply, algorithms from one another. That is, we must be smart about it vis-a-vis the purpose or task at hand for the algorithms, then modify them accordingly.
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