QI : The Quest for Intelligence Book

The whole area of intelligence testing has been the scene of fierce argument in recent years. Whether it's racists using IQ results to "prove" whites are more intelligent than blacks, or bien pensants using the very same results to show the virtual opposite, the subject of who is smarter than whom--and why, where, and how--is one of the most controversial in modern society.With this book, Reading University cybernetician Kevin Warwick has fearlessly taken this bull by the horns--and indeed stomped on its head. Utilising a crisp, astringent, plain-spoken style, Warwick unblinkingly analyses all the thorniest issues, such as gender differences, ethnic discrepancies, even animal "intellect". He also frisks these issues for interesting info: this is a great book for furnishing a pub argument with controversial facts--did you know women are dulled by eating chocolate, that men are cleverer after a few peanuts, or that bees are arguably smarter than book reviewers?Despite his breeziness of tone, however, Warwick's ultimate aim is deadly serious. As a specialist in robotics he aims to find out what we mean by artificial intelligence, and what that artificial intelligence (so much swifter than our own) means for us. It has to be said his conclusions are as unreassuring as his book is invigorating.--Sean ThomasRead More