Intelligence
as the 'condition of choosing between'
Morphological analysis
- Etymon: Intelligence from Latin intelligentia: 'choosing between'
- Morpheme breakdown: From the prefix inter- 'between' +‎ legere 'to choose' + suffix -ence 'condition of' → 'condition of choosing between'
Essential definition
The structural and temporal condition in which a selection is made between at least two distinct potential states or actions.
Semantic context
- Conventional sense: The capacity of mind, especially to understand principles, truths, facts or meanings. (Note: Semantic drift from essential meaning)
- Essential meaning (my usage): 'condition of choosing between'
Philosophical significance
The morphological definition reframes intelligence from a substantive trait to the formal condition of choice itself, establishing agency, purpose, and futurity as its core components. This creates a universal, non-anthropocentric framework that separates the fact of choosing from the quality of the choice, aligning with existential primacy and logical analysis. Ultimately, it presents intelligence not as a fixed essence but as a temporal state of being oriented toward potential futures.
Usage in this lexicon
When I use the word intelligence in my work, I mean exactly 'condition of choosing between'. This definition:
- clarifies intelligence as structural and relational by defining intelligence by its form as the situational architecture of having alternatives rather than by material components like a brain or algorithm;
- positions choice over knowledge and correctness by identifying the essential act of intelligence as the selection itself which makes the act of choosing primary while judgment of the choice's quality becomes a secondary evaluation;
- establishes an intelligence-agency link by connecting intelligence and agency as choice implies a choosing entity because the very concept of a choice necessitates an agent to enact it;
- incorporates teleology by embedding directionality as choice presupposes a goal or a preferred state of 'being' toward which the selection is aimed;
- creates a formal distinction by drawing a line based on the presence of a genuine selection between potential actions and not on output complexity or human-like behavior;
- avoids anthropocentric bias by allowing the definition to apply universally to any system such as artificial or ecological that exhibits the morphological structure of selecting between states;
- provides a comparison framework by enabling assessment based on the spectrum and intricacy or significance of the choices available to a system;
- aligns with existentialism by emphasizing the primacy of choice and action in defining a mode of being which resonates with the philosophical tenet that existence precedes essence;
- suggests a condition and not an essence by implying it is a mode that can be engaged or discontinued rather than a permanent and fixed attribute of an entity;
- offers parsimonious logic by presenting intelligence as the condition where 'A' is chosen over 'not-A' which provides a minimal and clear logical model;
- focuses on the decision moment by making the concept analyzable through formal systems like logic and computer science and decision theory abstracted from specific implementations;
- separates morality from choosing by allowing for foolish and evil or random choices to still be outputs of the intelligent condition which separates operational definition from ethical judgment;
- requires a temporal dimension by necessitating a future-oriented perspective as choice involves selecting a forthcoming state or 'to be' from among potential futures.
Related Terms
Sources
*This definition follows morphological essentialism principles. See the Methodology for details.
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