The purpose of this article is to define intelligence from the perspective of sapient races, with the potential to evolve, and look at how artificial intelligence can be used as a supplement for sapience. The traditional definition of intelligence is here.
Intelligence is one facet of a sapient mind and can be loosely broken down into these dimensions (and sub-dimensions within):
Intellect
A computational skill used to solve problems, related to cognition which is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, the senses, and education.
Some intellectual facets are:
Perception involves the process of interpreting and making sense of sensory information from the environment. It is the initial step in memory formation, as sensory inputs are transformed into meaningful representations, with irrelevant information filtered out.
Attention refers to the cognitive process of selectively focusing on specific aspects of the environment or internal thoughts. It helps filter out distractions, enhances the encoding of memories, and improves their subsequent retrieval.
Analysis, Discrimination, and Judgment: Memory enables analysis, discrimination, and judgment by providing a basis for making comparisons and evaluating information. It allows individuals to recall and compare past experiences, distinguishing between similar and dissimilar elements, and making informed judgments based on previous knowledge and experiences.
Reasoning and Computation: Memory plays a crucial role in reasoning and computation, as it allows for the retrieval and manipulation of stored information. It provides the necessary data and facts for logical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making processes. Memory aids in mental calculations, understanding relationships, and drawing conclusions based on past experiences.
Problem Solving and Decision Making: Memory supports problem-solving and decision-making processes by retrieving relevant information and experiences. It allows individuals to recall similar problem-solving strategies, evaluate potential solutions based on past outcomes, and make informed decisions. Memory contributes to the ability to apply knowledge and experience to novel situations.
Comprehension and Language: Memory facilitates comprehension and language abilities by storing and retrieving vocabulary, grammar rules, and contextual information. It allows individuals to understand and interpret spoken or written language, as well as express their thoughts and ideas effectively. Memory helps in recalling and using language structures and concepts.
Innovation and Imagination: Memory plays a crucial role in innovation and imagination by providing a storehouse of past experiences, ideas, and concepts. It allows for the synthesis and recombination of stored information to generate novel ideas, solutions, and creative insights. Memory aids in envisioning possibilities, imagining scenarios, and fostering innovative thinking.
Memory
This is the mind's storage of experiences, broken down into:
Elemental Memory involves the encoding and storage of raw sensory information, such as visual images, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations. This is short-term and can fade or blur.
Atomic Memory is the smallest unit of memory encoding and retrieval. It is the ability to recall discrete pieces of information or individual experiences. These memories can be simple and isolated, such as remembering a single word or an isolated event.
Evolutionary Memory refers to the collective memory or inherited knowledge of a species that is passed down from generation to generation through genetic information. It encompasses the instincts, behaviors, and survival mechanisms that have evolved over time. It allows organisms to respond to certain stimuli or situations based on the experiences of their ancestors.
Karmic Memory is the idea that memories and experiences from past lives can influence an individual's current life, affecting a person's actions, behavior, and the events they encounter in their current life.
Conscious Memory, also known as explicit or declarative memory, involves the conscious and intentional recollection of facts, events, and personal experiences. This is long-term storage.
Unconscious Memory, also known as implicit or procedural memory, involves the retention and recall of information or skills without conscious awareness. It is responsible for automatic behaviors and is often acquired through repetition and practice, such as the "muscle-memory" acquired by typing on a keyboard or playing a piano.
Articulate Memory is the ability to express or communicate one's memories effectively. It involves the capacity to retrieve and describe past experiences or information in a coherent and organized manner through language.
Inarticulate Memory refers to the difficulty in conveying memories in an articulate manner, so gestures and mannerisms and emotional expressions can be used instead.
It is not only the mind that has memory, but also the body. Every cell in the body stores evolutionary memory through the genetic information encoded in DNA. This information is passed from one generation to the next, with mutations introducing variations. Natural selection favors beneficial traits, leading to their preservation and accumulation over time. This process enables organisms to adapt to their environments and evolve, with the genetic code serving as a record of successful adaptations.
Network
A biological neural network in a human brain is a massively parallel network with about eighty six billion neurons. Each neuron has on average 7,000 synaptic connections to other neurons. An adult has between 1014 to 5 x 1014 synapses (100 to 500 trillion).
Identity
Allows your intellect to function and exist within a boundary, giving a sense of individual identity and self-awareness. It is an ego that heightens as you evolve and ascend and defines one's existence. The ultimate level of cosmic identity is an intelligence unsullied by memory, and boundless, and connects you to your consciousness and to the basis of creation.
If an identity is no longer individual, it can become shared and lead to a hive mind with a collective intelligence.
Machines can be programmed to have algorithmically-defined or self-learning artificial intelligence, unlike the natural intelligence displayed by biological sapient species, which involves consciousness and emotions. These machines mimic cognitive functions that species associate with the mind, such as learning and problem solving.
The move towards simulating the power of a massively parallel human neural network lies in quantum computing. As computation reaches its limits, the ultimate brain associated with a collective mind or one vastly superior mind is the Matrioshka brain which is a megastructure in space based on the Dyson sphere, of immense computational capacity. It ranges in size from an asteroid to an entire universe, where it can hold the energy of trillions of stars.
