Artificial Intelligence
Artificial
The word artificial has its origins in Latin artifex (craftsperson, artist, master of an art; e.g., music, acting, sculpting, painting, and so on). Artifex = Latin ars (art) + fex (maker), from facere (to make). In brief, in its origins, artificial refers to making art or being artful.
Related words include Latin artificialis (of or belonging to art) and artificium (a work of art; skill; theory, system).
By the late 14th century, the English word artificial meant something not natural, not spontaneous. By the early 15th century, artificial meant something contrived by human skill and labor. By the 16th century artificial meant anything made in imitation of, or as a substitute for, what is natural (e.g., artificial flowers).
By the 1590s, artificial also meant full of affectation, insincere. And, by the 1640s, artificial also meant fictitious, assumed, not genuine, or of suspicious origins.
Can the words artificial and artful be considered synonyms? In brief, the word artificial implies something created by a person; i.e., an artifact lacks a natural origin. The word artful focuses on the cleverness or creativity of the maker.
Intelligence
Have you ever browsed in a bookstore wondering what to read next? Were you in the mood for philosophy or for action escapism? Dewey or Eros? The origins of the word intelligence are found in this idea of choosing what to read.
The words intelligence, intelligent, and intellect have their origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root leg-(1) (to collect, gather, to speak, to pick out words) and Latin intelligere (to understand, to comprehend, to come to know); from Latin inter (between) + legere (to choose, pick out, read).
From such roots, we can say that being intelligent means being able to gather information and discern that which is worthwhile and valuable. It’s not what we read that shows our intelligence but how we choose what to read and what we do with what we read!
The word intelligence came to English in the late 14th century meaning the highest faculty of the mind, specifically the capacity for comprehending and understanding general truths.
The dictionary defines intelligence as the ability to learn and understand how to deal with new or challenging situations. Intelligence is also defined as the ability to apply knowledge in order to manipulate our environment or to think abstractly. The traditional way in which people have been considered intelligent is mental intelligence.
The notion of ‘multiple intelligences’ is from Howard Gardner (1983); i.e., there are several ways in which a person can be intelligent. (When asked if ‘emotional intelligence’ was one of the intelligences, Gardner is said to have replied, “Emotion is a part of every type of intelligence.”)
In brief: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The term ‘artificial intelligence’ (the science and engineering of making intelligent machines) was coined in 1956 and the AI abbreviation is from 1971. This version of AI is not to be confused with AI meaning ‘artificial insemination’, a term originating from 1894.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may not be ‘natural’ but it is no less ‘real’ in its effects—like choosing a car rather than a horse to get from one place to another. You still arrive at your destination regardless of how you get there.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons in theory and practice. New York: Basic Books.
The word artificial has its origins in Latin artifex (craftsperson, artist, master of an art; e.g., music, acting, sculpting, painting, and so on). Artifex = Latin ars (art) + fex (maker), from facere (to make). In brief, in its origins, artificial refers to making art or being artful.
Related words include Latin artificialis (of or belonging to art) and artificium (a work of art; skill; theory, system).
By the late 14th century, the English word artificial meant something not natural, not spontaneous. By the early 15th century, artificial meant something contrived by human skill and labor. By the 16th century artificial meant anything made in imitation of, or as a substitute for, what is natural (e.g., artificial flowers).
By the 1590s, artificial also meant full of affectation, insincere. And, by the 1640s, artificial also meant fictitious, assumed, not genuine, or of suspicious origins.
Can the words artificial and artful be considered synonyms? In brief, the word artificial implies something created by a person; i.e., an artifact lacks a natural origin. The word artful focuses on the cleverness or creativity of the maker.
Intelligence
Have you ever browsed in a bookstore wondering what to read next? Were you in the mood for philosophy or for action escapism? Dewey or Eros? The origins of the word intelligence are found in this idea of choosing what to read.
The words intelligence, intelligent, and intellect have their origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root leg-(1) (to collect, gather, to speak, to pick out words) and Latin intelligere (to understand, to comprehend, to come to know); from Latin inter (between) + legere (to choose, pick out, read).
From such roots, we can say that being intelligent means being able to gather information and discern that which is worthwhile and valuable. It’s not what we read that shows our intelligence but how we choose what to read and what we do with what we read!
The word intelligence came to English in the late 14th century meaning the highest faculty of the mind, specifically the capacity for comprehending and understanding general truths.
The dictionary defines intelligence as the ability to learn and understand how to deal with new or challenging situations. Intelligence is also defined as the ability to apply knowledge in order to manipulate our environment or to think abstractly. The traditional way in which people have been considered intelligent is mental intelligence.
The notion of ‘multiple intelligences’ is from Howard Gardner (1983); i.e., there are several ways in which a person can be intelligent. (When asked if ‘emotional intelligence’ was one of the intelligences, Gardner is said to have replied, “Emotion is a part of every type of intelligence.”)
In brief: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The term ‘artificial intelligence’ (the science and engineering of making intelligent machines) was coined in 1956 and the AI abbreviation is from 1971. This version of AI is not to be confused with AI meaning ‘artificial insemination’, a term originating from 1894.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may not be ‘natural’ but it is no less ‘real’ in its effects—like choosing a car rather than a horse to get from one place to another. You still arrive at your destination regardless of how you get there.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences: New horizons in theory and practice. New York: Basic Books.
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