Intelligence

Intelligence as Tree Search Memory, Logic, and Compute at Civilization Scale The divine feeling of intelligence — the flash of insight, the proof, the invention — is just the end point of billions of failed branches. It is the tip of a tree we’ve been pruning for eons. Setting the Stage In our previous exploration, we proposed that every mind exists somewhere in a three-dimensional space defined by memory (what we know), compute (how we explore possibilities), and logic (how we compress and transfer patterns). These aren’t independent forces but parts of an endless cycle: memory guides computation, computation reveals patterns, logic crystallizes what works, and the results flow back into memory for the next round. ...

What Is Intelligence? I. Four Minds A mathematician sits alone with her proof, chasing an insight that has eluded her for months. When it finally arrives—sudden, complete, inevitable—she knows with absolute certainty that she has uncovered a truth about the universe that no one has seen before. A sculptor circles a block of marble, studying its grain, feeling for the form hidden within. His hands know things his mind cannot articulate. When asked how he works, he shrugs: “I just remove everything that isn’t the sculpture.” ...