It is thus that modern Earthsiders have established such intelligence-measuring tests, and hold that the tests constitute the best scientific evidence of the real existence of intelligence naturally indwelling not only in individuals, but in our species as well.

It is important, however, to note that the Earthside emphasis is on individual IQ, and not on the sum IQ potentials as carried within our species as a whole.

In any event, and within the general contexts briefly outlined above, Earthsiders can stipulate that intelligence among our species does exist, albeit in +/- capacities at the individual level.

By extension, then, if ET intelligence does exist elsewhere in the universe, it COULD be referred to within the same contexts as the Earthside scenario.

However, if that ET intelligence should be advanced beyond Earthside realities about intelligence, then the Earthside assumptions and formulas could end up being almost useless.

One basic reason for this has to do with the general, but fundamental, matter of ADVANCED intelligence capacitance. 

The word ADVANCED is an adjective and has four principal Earthside meanings:

If, therefore, an ET intelligence, or evidence of it, is:

Another contrasting way to put all of this is to wonder that if Earthside humans utilize only a small fraction of their brains, then perhaps they are utilizing only a small fraction of their intelligence.

IF this should be the case, then modernist Earthside IQ tests are measuring only a fraction of human brain-mind powers – largely because it is not really understood WHAT ELSE to measure for.

As but one example of this, Earthside IQ tests do not measure for telepathy, because telepathy is not a topic that affords satisfaction within most Earthside societal structures, and so there is no real need to figure out how to test for it in individuals, much less within the species entire.

In any event, utilizing only a SMALL fraction of all possible knowledge about intelligence cannot be very useful in encountering an ADVANCED intelligence - which, by definition, must be utilizing a far LARGER fraction of knowledge about intelligence (and about “brains” as well.)

All of the foregoing considered, although Earthsiders may be content with their own ideas and realities about THEIR intelligence, it would seem that Earthsiders have no easily identifiable way of conceptualizing what ET advanced intelligence might consist of.

Even if subtly so, it might not be too far off the mark to think that intelligence anywhere in the universe probably DOES principally deal with information intake and output. (Indeed, if intelligence does not do this, then it is difficult to comprehend what it DOES do.)

And this in turn would imply that advanced intelligences probably would have achieved greater and more intricate capacities to do so, while not-so-advanced intelligence would have to struggle along within the contexts of their smaller and less intricate capacities.

The immediate Earthside response to this can easily be expressed as: “Well, THEY have learned more than we have.”

Yes in general, but not in particular.

Because something particularly depends on what the “learned more” actually consists of.

In conventional Earthside contexts, “learned more” almost always refers to whatever exists EXTERNAL to intelligence itself.

Indeed, intelligence is defined and identified almost exclusively by how it interacts and deals with factors that are external to the INTERNAL factors of intelligence itself.

It is this idea about intelligence that makes possible the conventional Earthside definition of it – “the capacity to apprehend facts and propositions and their relations and to reason about them.”

This definition clearly implies that “capacity to apprehend facts and propositions” is very suggestive of large, small, narrow, or big capacity.  But the definition glides much too fast over the term “apprehend.”

It can surely be thought that intelligence capacity is dependent upon what IS and IS NOT apprehended – largely because intelligence cannot deal with what is not apprehended.

Thus, we finally encounter the two-fold wonderment as to how and why intelligence apprehends anything at all – and why an advanced intelligence MUST be apprehending much more than a non-advanced one.

There are two working definitions for APPREHEND:

To grasp with understanding, and to recognize the meaning of, are, of course OUTPUTS of intelligence.

But both kinds of output MUST have been stimulated as the result of some kind of information INPUTS.

And it can be identified that Earthside ideas of what intelligence is and consists of are almost exclusively formulated with regard to OUTPUTS.

Thus arises, with some pristine clarity, the important question of how and wherefrom does intelligence get inputs, upon which various understandings and recognitions of meanings are based.

There can only be one really applicable answer here.

Mind-intelligence probably cannot achieve information inputs unless there exist arrays of sensing systems that PERMIT intake of various kinds of information, possibly including systems that specialize only in certain types of information processing.

It can thus be hypothesized that if ET mind-intelligences have occurred elsewhere in the universe, then intake and processing of information must be as fundamental to them as it is to the version of human intelligence here on Earth. 

MIND-INTELLIGENCE TRAPPED ON A GIVEN PLANET

A civilization of mind-intelligence can be said to be trapped within the environments of a given planet if:

Such a trapped mind-intelligence stands a very good chance of not only becoming introverted into its own societal orders, but would also tend to set up basic frames of reference with respect to whatever levels and extent of knowledge ARE possessed and tolerated by the orders.

Unless it was to encounter another mind-intelligence of similar or greater magnitude, such a trapped mind-intelligence would have no comparative way of measuring and assessing the nature of its own mind-intelligence. 

In the absence of parameters that might serve for identifying and comparing mind-intelligence contrasts, it is quite likely that the trapped civilizations would construct definitions of mind-intelligence that are in accord with societal frames of reference.

Indeed, in such societal frames of reference, mind-intelligence need not achieve much, if any, definition at all – largely because such definitions, if too extensive, would tend to complexity social management within societal frames of reference.

Such societal civilizations are composed of many individuals, the whole of which is usually somehow divided, for example, between the thinkers and the doers, between those that must be protected and those that are expendable.  And within this kind of societal arrangement, it would surely have been noted that the doers and the expendable need not learn too much about mind-intelligence.

In such societal civilizations, frames of reference and definitions of mind-intelligence (if any) need to be rather superficial and simplified to the degree that they are NOT useful to the achievement of real and intimate knowledge of mind-intelligence.

The purpose of this stratagem is, of course, two-fold:  to maintain knowledge about mind-intelligence within the given ordinary societal contexts; and, to prevent discovery of ways and means of developing mind-intelligence into higher, and therefore more advanced, states and functioning.

The best way of achieving such preventive measures is to define mind-intelligence only by what it produces, not only in general societal terms, but also at the individual level.  This process can be extremely clever, and thus hard to identify and observe.

THE DOMINANT, EARTHSIDE DEFINITIONS OF INTELLIGENCE

In Earthside terms, it is difficult to speculate what a mind is unless it possesses some modicum of intelligence, AND which the mind itself can recognize as such.

It is therefore important to have some general grasp of how INTELLIGENCE is principally defined in Earthside terms.  During our late-modern times, a very large literature has come into existence about intelligence, but in general the principal definitions of it are few.

INTELLIGENCE is defined as:

At first take, the foregoing definitions can be thought of as making sense.  But after some consideration, it can be seen that they refer to a rather ambiguous “capacity” that IS what it IS wherever one finds it.

It is probably somewhat tiresome to enter into a brief discussion about IQ and IQ tests, especially in that the efficacy and usefulness of those tests has been brought into serious doubt during the last twenty years or so. 

But even so, the concept of intelligence and the concept of intelligence quotients as measured by IQ tests became quite intermingled.  One of the results of this intermingling was that intelligence became thought of as a kind of thing-in-itself, somewhat like an “organ” akin to the heart, liver, and prostate organs. 

During the early modern period, The IQ tests were designed to measure the evidential activity and proficiency in individuals of that “organ.” 

More precisely, the tests were innovated NOT to identify what the organ consisted of, but to help identify, describe, and measure what its capacity was wherever it could be tested for at the individual level.  (In passing here, it is worth pointing up that no such tests have been innovated to test IQ at collective societal and social levels, and certainly not at our species level.)

The official definition of IQ is “A number held to express the relative intelligence of a person determined by dividing his mental age by his chronological age and multiplying by 100.”  The term “number” refers to a total “score” achieved by combining and averaging  scores of the different sections that test for different capacities. 

One such section tests for mathematical expertise.  While it is true that our species, and hence all individuals, possess indigenous mathematical faculties, these need to be nurtured, developed, and sharpened by educational methods.  Most can learn addition, even if by themselves, but multiplication, algebra, calculus, trigonometry and etc. need to be nurtured. 

Therefore, those unfortunates who have not benefited by such mathematical nurturing will score low on this section of the IQ text, and their overall IQ score will be pulled down.

Here is at least one clue that mind-intelligence consists of faculties that need to be, or can be, nurtured into higher states of performance.  This same clue also suggests that IQ tests largely measure NOT what has been nurtured or not in the individual, but measure what the society has selected to be measure.

There are many KNOWN aspects of intelligence that have not been incorporated into IQ tests.  For example, there are no IQ test routines that attempt to measure for wisdom, telepathy, foresight, empathy, information and knowledge packages accessed by intuition, and for “minds” that work together via harmonious interfacing.

As it can be identified from the foregoing definitions of INTELLIGENCE, the modern IQ tests were highly selective regarding topics that might be tested.  Indeed, viewed now in retrospect, the tests referred only to components of intelligence that were as valuable within the contexts of the modernist societal structures.

But intelligence surely has activity components that are not included in the modernist IQ paradigm.  Our species could be faced with such if an advanced ET species was encountered – and which species had, for example, active components of telepathic interaction.

THE CONCEPT OF INTELLIGENCE TOOLBOXES

      It is probably difficult to hypothesize what intelligence might consist of in addition to modern Earthside definitions of it.

It is because of this difficulty that time has been taken in these essays to establish what those Earthside definitions do consist of.

This was necessary in order to begin pointing up the authenticity of additional factors that are not normally thought of as “belonging” to intelligence – but which factors are OBVIOUSLY necessary to intelligence IF it is to function at all.

When intelligence is considered in its larger overall species contexts, it ultimately needs to be accepted that however else it may be defined, intelligence (1) takes in information and (2) outputs products based in some kind of processing of what was intaken. 

Nothing can be taken into intelligence unless there are some kinds of systems that permit and facilitate doing so.  In Earthside terms, these kinds of systems can be referred to as sensing systems.

As one such system, intelligence must have some kind of memory storage and retrieval processes regarding information, for without these the sensing systems alone would be of little use.

In addition to sensing and memory systems, intelligence must also have information-comparing systems, via which input information via memory storage and retrieval are sorted and identified.

What has been sorted and identifies must then undergo processing via cognitive systems that result in comprehension, understanding, and ideas of usefulness.

Finally, intelligence must possess activity and innovation systems if anything is to be DONE with the products of the cognitive systems.

The foregoing identifies FIVE tool-like, systemic aspects of intelligence, all five of which MUST exist if intelligence is to function at all.  Indeed, an intelligence that merely exists but does not produce anything has lesser meaning than intelligence that does.

At this juncture, it is useful to reprise the major Earthside definition of INTELLIGENCE:  “The capacity to apprehend facts and propositions and their relations, and to reason about them.”

Two things can now be pointed up with some clarity.

First, intelligence capacity must incorporate all five of the systemic tools briefly elaborated above, and it would seem that if one or more of those tools is not nurtured and brought into enhanced activity, then they will remain inherent but inactive.

Second, while each of the tools has some equal necessity and importance with the others, it would be quite obvious that the information intake sensing systems are the most fundamental. 

This is so much the case that the fundamental definition of intelligence should note that it is, in its first instance of manifesting, a series of information intake sensing systems.

In any event, it is bluntly obvious that intelligence cannot deal with information that is not sensed.

HUMAN SENSING SYSTEMS vs ET ADVANCED SENSING SYSTEMS

There is more to be discussed about the five systems inherent in the toolbox of intelligence.  But before doing so, it is important to undertake a magnifications of the utter importance of the sensing systems.  This magnification cannot be facilitated by the use of Earthside definitions of mind-intelligence - largely because SOCIETAL criteria require the non-nurturing, and sometimes active suppression, of various kinds of intelligence sensing systems. 

The result of this is that various kinds of sensing systems cannot even be brought into view, with the result that the full extent of human sensing systems remains unidentified and unknown.

However, IF our species should chance to encounter an ET species having advanced mind-intelligence, then it would be possible, perhaps even somewhat urgently necessary, to speculate upon the characteristics of THEIR intelligence toolbox.

Most certainly, it would have to be noted that if their mind-intelligence were advanced beyond their own, then it would be reasonable to conclude that they have achieved larger capacities regarding information intake and output.

This would imply that they have come to possess, have nurtured, have enhanced, or have activated, more extensive sensing systems that we have.

Indeed, they may have intelligence toolbox factors that are beyond Earthside knowledge or imagination, they are almost certain to have our own five toolbox factors.  We would therefore speculate that advanced formats of ET mind-intelligence has developed and enhanced those same five factors.

Frankly put, our species has information intake sensing systems, and because of this the basic fundamentals of those sensing systems download into all individuals.

However, here on Earth, what is to be sensed and not sensed is determined by societal criteria, not by actual and virtual realities of our species mind-intelligence.

In any event, and briefly put, it is possible to hypothesize that advanced ET mind-intelligence implies that ET is in cognitive possession of sensing systems more extensive than what societal criteria here on Earth allow for.

And it would be because of their advanced possession of sensing systems, combined with other intelligence systemics, that they could also have innovated advanced technologies.

WOULD ADVANCED ET MIND-INTELLIGENCES HAVE INNOVATED, DEVELOPED,
AND  ENHANCED MIND-INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES?

It IS possible to think in terms of ET advanced technologies via the principal ways we define TECHNOLOGY as “applied science.”  It must be stipulated, however, that Earthside ideas of “applied science” refer completely and only to applied material science that achieves a practical purpose.

Therefore, the Earthside notion of technology refers only to development in practical material terms. 

If, however, advanced ET material technology were a product of advanced ET mind-intelligence, it would be quite possible that the latter has innovated advanced ET mind-intelligence technologies.  

This refers, of course, to the hypothesis that ET has discovered, innovated, and applied dependable ways and means of enhancing various aspects of mind-intelligence for practical purposes – and which enhancing could have mind-dynamic as well as material implications.

COULD INTELLIGENCE HAVE TOOLBOX CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE SIMILAR EVERYWHERE?

If life forms have developed intelligence, then it is possible to speculate that although the life forms might be different, their intelligence toolboxes could be similar everywhere.

As a full part of this similarity, ET intelligence must have sensing systems, for without these any ostensible intelligence would be “blind.”

Because of this, it is possible to toy with the idea that human and ET intelligence have substantial dynamic sensing systems in common. 

It can also be speculated that ET might be advanced because of having achieved a fuller and more fundamental knowledge of dynamic sensing systems than has so far been achieved in Earthside societal terms.

This possibility can be approached via another route.  If, for example, an intelligence does NOT have sensing systems, then problems arise regarding other intelligence toolbox activities. 

For example, since information is taken into intelligence via biomind dynamic sensing systems, it can be wondered what is to be thought of memory, cognitive, and innovative factors if sensing systems do not exist – or, perhaps, if knowledge of sensing systems is dumbed down because of societal reasons.

Even in Earthside terms, it is generally realized that what cannot be sensed cannot be dealt with.

To give more description to this, it can be thought that mind-intelligence, wherever it is found, does possess many different kinds of innate sensing systems – say, one hundred of them.

If so, it can be theorized that only a certain percentage (such as 10 percent) of the innate sensing systems have been nurtured and activated, while the rest have remained dormant.

In such a case, it is quite probable that memory, cognitive, and innovation systems will have to function within the information parameters and contexts of the 10 percent.

It can then be imagined that two mind-intelligence species encounter each other.  Let us think that both species have fundamental sensing systems numbering one hundred.  However, one of the species has, say, 50 percent of its intelligence sensing system in an active state – while the other species has only 10 percent activated.

Additionally, it can be understood that sensing systems of the 10 percent species are almost entirely focused on 3-dimensional, physical realities – and which focus requires the nurturing and activation of only 10 percent of the one hundred sensing systems innately housed within the overall intelligence toolbox.

One could think that what has been described above could be characteristic of the Earthside situation - NOT because the above has been stated, but because it is generally understood on Earth that humans have more sensing systems, as well as more potential intelligence, than they use.

In any event, there are differences to be noted between sensing “windows” of 10 percent and sensing windows of 50 percent, or even more.

As but one factor, the realities sensed via the 50 percent windows would surely be thought of as advanced over the realities sensed via the 10 percent windows.

And this could be the case, even though the 10 percent and the 50 percent species have potentials of 100 percent windows.

A SPECULATIVE COMMONALITY OF HUMAN AND ET MIND-INTELLIGENCE

Before continuing into Part 3 (forthcoming), it is worth taking note of a certain subtle Earthside situation that has relevance to the overall issues being discussed in this set of essays.

This situation has to do with distinctions between sensing systems and cognitive systems found in the intelligence toolbox.

In more recent modern times, it has generally been assumed that increasing the scope of learning about something could ultimately increase control and command of it.  There can be no doubt that there is some well-founded truth in this approach.  But it has become somewhat understood that there are certain areas that evade the anticipated command and control no matter how much they are studied and learned about.

Powers of mind (so called) constitute one such area, largely because merely learning about them does not automatically result in activating enhanced control and command of them.  For example, one can read and learn a great deal about telepathy or intuition and not achieve very much with regard to enhancing their activation.

The central idea basic to learning is to increase cognitive understanding, and this, of course, has relevance to the cognitive systems found in the intelligence toolbox.

Over a hundred years of experiment and study, however, more than suggests that sensing systems are more basic to telepathy and intuition than cognitive learning and understanding. 

This is to say that if the sensing systems relevant to telepathy are not activated, then telepathy will not “work” even in the face of learning a great deal about it.

Another indication of this is that if telepathy sensing systems ARE working, then one doesn’t really need to cognitively learn anything more about it.

There are thus important distinctions between command and control achieved via enhancement of cognitive systems and via enhancement of sensing systems. 

There is an unavoidable implication in all of this regarding mind-intelligence wherever it might be found.

Different species possessing mind-intelligence capacities can be expected to have produced perhaps vastly different knowledge packages having to do with memory, cognitive, innovation, and information-comparing techniques.

But it is fair enough to surmise that sensing systems are fundamental, integral, and common to mind-intelligence anywhere and everywhere.  

It can therefore be hypothesized that IF there is ever a human-ET encounter, the commonality will be found within their mutual and probably similar sensing systems, rather than in other factors that could be remarkably different.

(To be continued as Part 3)

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