What intelligence truly is (?)

[fluffy]

In basic terms of perception and actions we have in the middle reasoning or thinking.

So pretty much as people we need to understand things we don't know yet to get things done.

Understanding requires knowing many things at once and trying them out to see what would work.

Usually knowing more can help solve problems faster.

In a nonlinear fashion having things in place is about parallel processing. Cause and effect is not just about trial and error but there are multiple considerations at play we take account of where one part effect the others in complex ways.

Attention and memory and correction of errors in reasoning had at its core situational awareness. Looking at what is and understanding the consequences of anything leading to the next condition. In fact it is a good way to organize thought.

People with more short term memory can use it to think up more possibilities and view points that could work and then decide the best approach. Reasoning about a given task would mean we think about how the entire system would change and if that's good or bad. We would want the best outcome so pondering what would need to happen keeping in mind the mistakes that could happen and contingent responses.

The larger picture in the meta sense is about purpose of application. Why am I doing this and what good is it for. Do my actions relate to my ultimate goals that these smaller sub goals accumulate to.

It is possible to create really detailed and complex systems out of thoughts and objects. What then is intelligence is having better ways to see the interrelationships. More or less.

 

[SignalCobra]

What stood out to me is the idea that intelligence isn't just about what you know, but about how well you see the connections between things. In real life, we often look for direct causes and effects, but most situations are more like a web than a line. A small change in one part can trigger a chain of reactions somewhere completely unexpected. If you don't see the whole picture, your solution might seem logical at first but lead to bad outcomes later.

Another thing I was thinking about is that when we try to reason through something, we aren't just processing data. We're building a model of the world. And the more accurate or adaptable that model is, the better chance we have of actually making a difference. So in a way, thinking isn't just a tool to solve problems. It's a way of being more conscious and deliberate in how we live.

 

[Hadoblado]

@fluffy
I think at this point you should consider making an ultimate intelligence thread and funnel all new thoughts on that subject into it. You make a few specific topics you've returned to many times over the years. Intelligence is one of them. These posts are welcome, but when it's the same people talking about the same things it's best for clarity and for following the conversation if they occur in the one place. This feels like a singular long term project of yours, but the way you communicate it is diffuse and short-term. You keep burying both the building blocks and the replies by making new threads.