What is Intelligence?

[RaptorWizard]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence

My best guess is that intelligence is the mental power a consciousness has to simulate questioned phenomena as abstractions. Conceptual simulations I think would be able to integrate pieces into greater wholes, essentially seeing new connections and building across them. Then one would gaze into these conceptions from multiple perspectives, to understand their various functionality within a variety of contexts.

Put more simply, I think intelligence is how good a mind is at putting stuff together and generating new things in novel areas. Anyway folks, what are your theories on the nature of intelligence?

 

[Fluffywolf]

The capacity to retain knowledge, the skill to question said knowledge properly, the ability to remain objective and the will to apply. The latter being my weakest point.

But that's roughly my view on intelligence without ending up writing 700 pages on the subject. (read: lacking the will to apply)

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

Intelligence is directly proportional to awareness, therefore, it might stand to reason that intelligence and awareness describe the same phenomenon. We define someone intelligent today as someone containing volumes of information in their mind and someone who is able to apply all of that knowledge and make things happen in the real world, and what is knowledge but not mental awareness? Furthermore, intelligence, as you have vaguely described, is being able to view problems from different, objective angles. An intelligent person is able to twist the axes of a problem and see all of the possible scenarios to solve it. Essentially, the more varying angles one can see, the more intelligent one is, as one is aware of more possibilities and routes. That's why intelligent people are said to be "above the clouds", or "awake in the world", they see through the shroud of life and become aware.

 

[RaptorWizard]

Intelligence is directly proportional to awareness, therefore, it might stand to reason that intelligence and awareness describe the same phenomenon. We define someone intelligent today as someone containing volumes of information in their mind and someone who is able to apply all of that knowledge and make things happen in the real world, and what is knowledge but not mental awareness? Furthermore, intelligence, as you have vaguely described, is being able to view problems from different, objective angles. An intelligent person is able to twist the axes of a problem and see all of the possible scenarios to solve it. Essentially, the more varying angles one can see, the more intelligent one is, as one is aware of more possibilities and routes. That's why intelligent people are said to be "above the clouds", or "awake in the world", they see through the shroud of life and become aware.

Awareness certainly is a big part of the equation, but you're leaving out the elements of integration and generation.

Of course you need to be able to identify problems, but you also need to know how to approach them, and then be able to make progress for the future by solving them. Vision I would think is critical in having a map for solution-navigation, but actually knowing what to do within the mapped territory requires originality. What I mean by that is, looking at the completed picture of the puzzle on the box isn't enough; you have to know where stuff actually fits. And its often far more multifaceted than a flat image; it's probably more systematic with many variables and effects.

A better example is depicted here by Nikola Tesla, where he doesn't just find solutions for already existing problems; he also models out methods for initiating projects that don't even yet exist!
http://www.ee.uwa.edu.au/~chandra/Downloads/Tesla/MindOfTesla.html

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

Awareness certainly is a big part of the equation, but you're leaving out the elements of integration and generation.

Of course you need to be able to identify problems, but you also need to know how to approach them, and then be able to make progress for the future by solving them. Vision I would think is critical in having a map for solution-navigation, but actually knowing what to do within the mapped territory requires originality. What I mean by that is, looking at the completed picture of the puzzle on the box isn't enough; you have to know where stuff actually fits. And its often far more multifaceted than a flat image; it's probably more systematic with many variables and effects.

A better example is depicted here by Nikola Tesla, where he doesn't just find solutions for already existing problems; he also models out methods for initiating projects that don't even yet exist!
http://www.ee.uwa.edu.au/~chandra/Downloads/Tesla/MindOfTesla.html

Wow this article is extremely interesting, I just learned I fall asleep like Tesla (4.3), I have images of people and objects flutter through my mind uncontrollably, and sometimes they can be so overpowering and even demented that it forces me to wake up (usually not out of fear but curiosity as to how my mind generated these strange images), I am not able to tell, however, when I'm slipping into R.E.M.

Sub-Note: This cosmic consciousness they speak of ambiguously, would it be kind of like seeing all of the different possibilities woven together in a beautiful single entity? Like truly observing the universe for what it is, attuning oneself to the present and seeing the universe for what it really is?

 

[Rasofy]

Conscious or subconscious knowledge that serves a purpose

 

[RaptorWizard]

Sub-Note: This cosmic consciousness they speak of ambiguously, would it be kind of like seeing all of the different possibilities woven together in a beautiful single entity? Like truly observing the universe for what it is, attuning oneself to the present and seeing the universe for what it really is?

I have no idea if all of the possibilities exist before they've even unfolded; it doesn't seem very optimistic in my opinion though if in 1 timeline, you fall off of the cliff, and in another one, you stumble to safety, because there would be an equally real existence where you're dead! This is depicted I know by the "cat-in-the-box" example in quantum mechanics. My preferred view is that the various potentialities don't necessarily exist side-by-side, but rather just represent the critical role free will plays in determining what actually happens. It could be "dice-rolls", or even spectra.

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

I have no idea if all of the possibilities exist before they've even unfolded; it doesn't seem very optimistic in my opinion though if in 1 timeline, you fall off of the cliff, and in another one, you stumble to safety, because there would be an equally real existence where you're dead! This is depicted I know by the "cat-in-the-box" example in quantum mechanics. My preferred view is that the various potentialities don't necessarily exist side-by-side, but rather just represent the critical role free will plays in determining what actually happens. It could be "dice-rolls", or even spectra.

What I'm talking about is more vivid (an actual state of mind), like being utterly in the moment, yet above the moment at the same time. I like to call something like this hyper-awareness or hyper-vigilance, where I feel everything going around me and all of the little interconnections. For example, I'll feel the blood pumping through my veins and arteries, and I can sort of see how it's working and all of the external and internal influences on the blood flow indirectly. I'll see how alien all these different mechanical systems interact with each other at the exact same time, so I can see the functionality of my circulatory system with the plethora of other systems at once like the movement and interaction of atoms, sound waves (everything starts getting very mechanical sounding and even machine like), light waves (everything even starts getting very static as I actually start to notice the wave-like nature that light truly is), and sometimes even the complexity of language, and I'll start focusing on the other things and begin to realize that I'm not actually understanding the words someone is speaking to me simply because I'm so absorbed in the mechanical/physical world. It's extremely difficult to explain outside of my own mind.

 

[RaptorWizard]

What I'm talking about is more vivid (an actual state of mind), like being utterly in the moment, yet above the moment at the same time. I like to call something like this hyper-awareness or hyper-vigilance, where I feel everything going around me and all of the little interconnections. For example, I'll feel the blood pumping through my veins and arteries, and I can sort of see how it's working and all of the external and internal influences on the blood flow indirectly. I'll see how alien all these different mechanical systems interact with each other at the exact same time, so I can see the functionality of my circulatory system with the plethora of other systems at once like the movement and interaction of atoms, sound waves (everything starts getting very mechanical sounding and even machine like), light waves (everything even starts getting very static as I actually start to notice the wave-like nature that light truly is), and sometimes even the complexity of language, and I'll start focusing on the other things and begin to realize that I'm not actually understanding the words someone is speaking to me simply because I'm so absorbed in the mechanical/physical world. It's extremely difficult to explain outside of my own mind.

Hyperfocus is an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task. In some individuals, some subjects or topics may also tend toward including daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind. Hyperfocus on a certain subject can cause side-tracking away from assigned or important tasks.

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

Hyperfocus is an intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task. In some individuals, some subjects or topics may also tend toward including daydreams, concepts, fiction, the imagination, and other objects of the mind. Hyperfocus on a certain subject can cause side-tracking away from assigned or important tasks.

It isn't really like that though, It's like I feel myself becoming one with everything, joining the entire system rather than detaching from it. I have some of my deepest thoughts when I'm in this state of mind and often feel the most intelligent then.

Much unlike Hyperfocus, I can actually snap back into real-time easily and whenever I want.

Sub-note: Looking at the various links on the page, I think its more akin to "flow" and autotelic personality.

 

[Fluffywolf]

It isn't really like that though, It's like I feel myself becoming one with everything, joining the entire system rather than detaching from it. I have some of my deepest thoughts when I'm in this state of mind and often feel the most intelligent then.

Much unlike Hyperfocus, I can actually snap back into real-time easily and whenever I want.

Sub-note: Looking at the various links on the page, I think its more akin to "flow" and autotelic personality.

What I most enjoy about this is the ability to visualize the entire structure, then internally detach from it, looking at it from 'above' and being able to internally analyse the various individual parts of said structure in great depth without losing focus on the whole. It's a wonderful process.

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

What I most enjoy about this is the ability to visualize the entire structure, then internally detach from it, looking at it from 'above' and being able to internally analyse the various individual parts of said structure in great depth without losing focus on the whole. It's a wonderful process.

Yeah it's basically what you just described except worldly immersing. That description just cleared it up more in my mind, thanks.

 

[Cellmold]

Presenting something others haven't thought of yet, which causes them to think "My what a clever fellah".

Not referring to myself in the slightest, I don't consider myself particularly intelligent.

 

[Tyltalis]

Retaining memories/knowledge/skills, how fast and easily one gains memories/knowledge/skills, and the ability to apply memories/knowledge/skills, or how easily certain skills "come" to someone (these things can be anything), whether it be a skill, thought, music, art, intrapersonal awareness, or nearly anything. Basically, a natural sense of clarity in something.

And with that, everyone has something they're good at, so everyone is very intelligent in their own way. Society just has a very narrow definition of intelligence.

 

[danseen]

Depends, IMO it's indefinable.