Intelligence

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Intelligence (Latin: intelligentia "insight, cognitive faculty", from intellegere "to understand"; derived from inter "between" and legere "to read, choose"; Hebrew: שָׂכַל sakal) today refers in the broadest sense to the cognitive abilities to recognise connections, to abstract, to find optimal strategies for solving problems and to learn from the experience gained. In detail, the intellect enables us above all to spatial imagination, to plan ahead through virtual action in the imagination space, to counting and arithmetic, to language comprehension and fluency and dexterity in our own linguistic expression, to individual memory as the essential basis of our I-consciousness, to rapid and attention-guided perception and especially to logical thinking, in which the mind is reflected through the tool of the brain. This kind of intelligence can in principle be completely replicated by artificial intelligence and subsequently even far surpassed.

However, these cognitive abilities bound to the brain and the sensory organs, which are the sole focus of interest for the sciences today, represent only the smaller part of human intelligence. The concept of intelligence is therefore much broader. The actual creative-intuitive intelligence of the human being has its origin in the cosmic intelligence, which also has a formative effect on the whole of nature. This cosmic intelligence arises from the interaction of spiritual beings, which are above man in their degree of spiritual development. In the Middle Ages they were therefore called cosmic intelligences. It is they who also shape the whole of nature and work in every natural being. What distinguishes man from the other natural beings is that in the course of the development of mankind he has learnt to grasp this cosmic intelligence ever more actively and to make it his own, in order thereby to become ever more consciously and freely active himself creatively directly out of the spirit. The task of anthroposophical spiritual science is to promote this development ever further.

„The spirit is activity, is always activity. The spirit is creative. The spirit is the absolutely productive. The intellect is the passive image of the spirit.“ (Lit.:GA 305, p. 29)

Literature
References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated.
Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com.
Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books
A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works
Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English.
Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold
steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA)
Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.
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