Rethinking Intelligence: A Critique of Jensen Huang's Definition
Jensen Huang, the CEO of the world's largest company by market capitalisation, is undoubtedly a brilliant individual. In a recent podcast, when asked about the smartest person he ever met, Huang described 'smart' as someone who is intelligent, solves problems, and is technical—a view he considers a 'commodity'. He further elaborated that true smartness lies at the intersection of technical astuteness, human empathy, and the ability to infer the unspoken or unknowable.
The Limitations of a Technical Lens
However, by tightly linking smartness to technical prowess and reducing it to an algorithmic concept, Huang's perspective may be overly narrow. This approach risks conflating terms like 'technically astute', 'empathy', and 'inference', potentially overlooking deeper dimensions of intelligence. Smartness cannot be merely about number-crunching, programming, or predictive analysis; it encompasses a broader understanding of life's impermanence and natural order.
For instance, the Guns N' Roses song 'November Rain', while about unrequited love, serves as a poignant reminder of life's temporality. This extends to technology itself—the very tools that simplify our lives are transient. Thus, reducing smartness to mechanical processes for material gain misses the essence of wisdom that acknowledges change and the unknowable.
Algorithms: From Mathematics to Consciousness
The term 'algorithm' originates from the Latinisation of 9th-century Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi's name, originally denoting a systematic process. Over time, it has been narrowed to mean computational systems, but its true scope is broader—a flawless sequence where altering a single step can cause collapse in the material realm.
Yet, technology is not confined to wires, motherboards, or Wi-Fi routers. In a spiritual context, systems like Vedanta represent an 'algorithm of consciousness' or 'BlissTech'. The Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita act as manuals for this technology, detailing methods for Self-realisation and the unity of individual soul (jivatman) with the universal soul (Paramatman).
Vedanta's Perspective on Intelligence
While the modern world often equates intelligence with information density and analytical skills, Vedanta associates it with moksha (liberation) and the attainment of Brahmn. The Bhagavad Gita discusses Kshetra (the field, or body) and Kshetrajna (the knower of the field), with Krishna explaining that awareness bridges these elements, much like a circuit board connects hardware in a computer.
This 'algorithm of bliss' remains unchanged amidst the flux of mechanical devices, highlighting that technology can be any precise system transforming input into output. In this sense, BlissTech transforms ignorance into clarity, ego into liberation, and the individual self into the realised Self.
In conclusion, smartness, as per Vedanta, transcends technical reductionism, embracing a holistic view that integrates material and spiritual realms. It challenges us to look beyond Huang's definition towards a more encompassing understanding of intelligence.
