If you start out blindfolded in Kansas, you have no idea which way the Rockies lie, and you’ll wander around for a long time before you bump into their foothills and start climbing. But if you combine evolution with neural learning, something interesting happens. If you’re on flat ground, but not too far from the foothills, neural learning can get you there, and the closer you are to the foothills, the more likely it will. It’s like being able to scan the horizon: it won’t help you in Wichita, but in Denver you’ll see the Rockies in the distance and head that way. Denver now looks a lot fitter
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