Reconsidering "intelligence"

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Traditional definitions of intelligence emphasize problem-solving ability, but a broader view suggests that intelligence is about how well a system connects, adapts, and thrives in its environment.
At the recently founded Island of Knowledge think tank, scientists and philosophers explored intelligence beyond the human mind, considering learning in bacteria, plants, and even ecosystems.
Their conclusion: Intelligence is relational, distributed, and deeply embedded in context — measured not just by efficiency, but by the ability to sustain and enhance life.

Excerpt: "A new think tank of scientists and philosophers recently gathered in a 16th-century Tuscan church to rethink intelligence as a distributed, relational capacity: the ability of any system to sense, adapt, and thrive within its environment. Their conclusion challenges centuries of assumptions, suggesting we may need a new definition of what it means to be “smart.”'