Well my definition of intelligence applies to more constructs than just bio and tech, so for e.x I think a government or corporation can develop an intelligence if it is complex enough

Oh god

If that is 'intelligence' then I want to be a retard.

Which I unironally am.

Fucking autism REPRESENT

complex systems can develop a sense of self and preservation of that self

happens all the time

Anyway, yes and no.

That depends way too much upon perspective.

If you are the shareholder of a company, yeah, that will seem true.

If you are the pleb getting laid off, that does not look very true.

no you don't have to be in the company

Its sorta like the view of ant colonies as a single super organism

this is an observation of the nature of a system over time

With different members being different organs basically

I'm not saying the people who make up the system are not intelligent

What I am saying, is that this only appears true on a macro scale

but a system can most definitely develop a persistent sense of self-preservation, independent of the individuals who make it up

that's how a lot of cultures work too

At the micro level you would think these entities are completely suicidal

they have rituals and ideals in place for the purpose of preserving the system

Yes, maintaining critical mass

The origin of religion

but culture isn't static, so there's a freedom to evolve based on environmental pressures

and so you see that happen when the environment for a culture changes

To prevent people from becoming TOO self-aware and indepently critical that they cannot agree with anyone, thus all wander away and die

I've recently been studying indian culture and you see this a lot, even within castes and between families

It is one reason I believe we have such issues with religion. It is a tool we should have tossed away long ago.

We outgrew its use.

I don't have a problem with religion

We have other concepts to replace it that will unify us.

I think the usefulness of any tool depends on the competence of those who wield it

It is too authoritarian and subversive, rejecting, for the most part, critical thinking.

and I think a lot of people just lost a lot of their common sense at some point in history

If your tool does not allow you to wonder if it is broken, then your tool is probably fucked now, or will be at some point.

And you will never know.

well don't go thinking dogma is just a problem with religion

It isnt

dogma exists in literally every human endeavor

I mean it *can* but I wouod not say it *does*.

and dogma isn't a core component of religion