People Tend to Act Out of Perceived Self Interest Fact
It isn’t true that everyone acts out of self interest, but generally people tend to act in accord with their perceived self interest and “moral sentiments.”
Collective Intelligence
Collective intelligence describes the intelligence of a group including collaboration, competition, and group decision making. Humans are, in many ways, social beings, we have quantifiable hardwiring, and we can study different types of systems related to our biology, social interactions, and culture.
Although it doesn’t exclude it, collective intelligence isn’t a remark on a metaphysical collective subconscious, rather it is the study of how things like social media, the internet of things, modern politics, cognitive computing, the media, marketing, and published studies affect our collective thinking.
Collective intelligence also looks at group behaviors such as group decision making, and other aspects of social science as it relates to groups. It looks at concepts like our inability to have new ideas without prior input, and our hardwired biases that prime us for cooperation and competition, and how these evolve on a constant and ongoing basis within the dynamics of the group.
Collective intelligence is also the study of applying technologies like machine learning, theoretical machines, and general systems theory to better understand the complex systems we form (including cultures and societies and technologies). The overarching study of the complex systems we form is called complexity Science and in broad terms the study of collective intelligence includes anything involving how the collective works together, and then by extension how its parts relate.
Or at least that is my take. Now that you have the introduction, you can explore the collective intelligence related facts and myths below or learn more from MIT.
Factoids tagged with "Collective Intelligence"
All Action is Human Action Fact
As Mises said, “all action is human action”. In other words, although we form groups that can indirectly act through consensus, groups themselves aren’t physical entities (and thus they can’t act directly).
Collectives are Comprised of Individuals, and Individuals Comprise Collectives Fact
All collectives are comprised of individuals, and all individuals comprise collectives; thus we can never fully consider collectives without considering individuals, or vice versa.
The Issue is Always the Government or the Market Fact
For a given market, the choice always boils down to state intervention vs. the free-market, there is no third option (unless you count mixed-markets).
Intention Matters Fact
Intention matters in planning, action, and doing. Attention, intention, and impact are all important components of an action.
Memories are Stored in a Single Part of the Brain Myth
Memories aren’t stored in a single part of the brain. Memories are stored in neurons located in different parts of the brain, recalled using other parts, and connected to even more parts via synaptic pathways.
Human Behavior can be Random Fact
Human behavior can be random to some extent, but most behavior is based on prior input, and thus is “deterministic” (meaning not totally random).
Sir Isaac Newton Discovered the Laws of Motion Fact
Sir Isaac Newton can be said to have discovered the laws of motion, but more accurately, he refined the work of Aristotle, Galileo, Descartes, and others.
Adam Smith is the Father of Modern Economics Fact
Adam Smith can be considered the father of modern economics due to his influential works which explore the mechanics of morality, markets, and capitalism in an industrialized society.
Mirror Neurons Fire When Observing and Preforming an Action Fact
Mirror neurons are neurons that “fire” when observing an action and when performing an action, this allows for learning through imitation (“mirroring”).
Collective Intelligence is the Intelligence of a Group Fact
Collective intelligence is the wisdom of crowds, or the intelligence of groups, the intelligence that arises from cooperation, competition, and other group dynamics.
A Person Can be a “Lone Genius” Myth
A person can be a “lone genius”, but as an essay called “Deconstructing the Lone Genius Myth” points out, genius is in many ways a collective process.
Game Theory is the Science of Strategy Fact
Game theory is “the science of strategy,” a branch of mathematics that studies the strategy, rules, and statistics of decision making games and applies it to other fields.
Humans are Quick to Adapt to Change Fact
Humans are generally quick to adapt to change, despite being resistant to it, this is true biologically, socially, and culturally.
Edward Bernays Was the Father of Public Relations Fact
Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, can be considered the father of public relations and propaganda. Bernays literally wrote the book on propaganda, public relations, and manipulating public opinion.
On Average, People Naturally Obey Authority Fact
The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures (and related studies) show that, on average and under the right conditions, people will obey authority figures despite moral objections.
A System is a Set of Properties Fact
A system is any “bound”, finite, set of physical and/or conceptual properties (elements) such as physical objects, rules, or space time coordinates.
Democrats and Republicans Switched Platforms Fact
The US political parties, now called Democrats and Republicans, switched platform planks, ideologies, and members many times in American history.
Conway’s Game of Life Models Evolution Fact
Conway’s Game of Life is a simple rule-set that models the evolution of systems. It’s a “zero-player” computer program that demonstrates “cellular automata”.
All Types of Systems are Generally Comparable Fact
General systems theory shows us there are commonalities between different types of physical and conceptual systems which we can study to better understand complex systems.
Cognitive AI is a Computer Program That Can Think and Learn Fact
Cognitive Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer program that can think, learn, and generally mimic human cognition.
Edison Never Invented Anything Myth
Thomas Edison was a businessman, ideas-man, inventor, and more. He invented things, but more-so he collected patents, headed a team of developers, and created companies.
People Can be Truly Unbiased Myth
People can’t be truly unbiased; we are hardwired with bias and create bias constantly as part of the natural neurological process of learning.
Everything is Made of “Star Stuff” Fact
As Carl Sagan correctly stated, “we are made from star stuff”. The elements in our body, and everywhere else were transformed by nucleosynthesis in stars.
Humans are Born Selfish, not Compassionate Myth
Humans are born both selfish and compassionate; we are hardwired to show compassion to our group and fear to those outside it. It’s genetic self-interest.
Our Brains Can Process More than Language Can Express Fact
The speed and complexity of our thoughts exceed our abilities of language and communication, specifically our ability to convey complex ideas.
We Learn Best by Being Taught Myth
The best way to learn isn’t “being taught”, its mixing self-directed learning with the roles of student, peer, and teacher in different social settings.
Humans are Hardwired to be Social Beings Fact
Humans are hardwired to be social beings. We naturally cooperate, care, and compete. From quarks, to cells, to plants, to animals, cooperation is in our DNA.
Humans Can Have With New Ideas Without Input Myth
Humans can’t have new ideas without prior sensory input. We copy, transform, and combine old ideas to create new ones.
The Hipster Effect Results in Anti-conformists Looking the Same Fact
The hipster effect is when anti-conformists rebel against the mainstream and ironically end up adopting similar styles thus becoming mainstream.
The Internet of Things is a Network of “Smart” Objects Fact
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connecting electronic objects which can collect and exchange data.
Survival of the Fittest, Only the Strong Survive Myth
“Survival of the fittest” means that those who are best adapted to their environment thrive and tend to be favored by evolution due to “natural selection”. It does not mean that “only the most physically strong or mentally strong thrive”.
Humans Have About 86 Billion Neurons Fact
Studies show the average human has about 86 billion neurons and roughly as many glial cells, however the exact number of neurons and glial cells remains unknown.
Venture Capital Helped Create Silicon Valley and Startup Culture Fact
Venture capital, which was just emerging in the late 50’s, helped create companies like Intel, which in turn created Silicon Valley and startup culture.
Language is a System of Communication that Uses Symbolism Fact
Language can be thought of as a system of communication that uses symbols to convey deep meaning. Symbols can be words, images, body language, sounds, etc.
Thoughts Can “Rewire” Your Brain Fact
Thoughts and other stimuli can essentially “rewire” our brain, strengthening useful synaptic pathways and weakening less used ones, this is called neuroplasticity (AKA learning and memory).
Humans Have Many Different Types of Cells Fact
The human body has about 37 trillion cells, comprising 200 different types. Each cell has structures responsible for making hundreds of thousands of different proteins from 20 types of amino acids.
We Know How Complex Cells Evolved Fact
Complex cells (eukaryotes) likely evolved from single-celled organisms (prokaryotes) absorbing other prokaryotes, becoming single complex cells over time (endosymbiosis).
Everyone Has 6 Degrees of Separation From Kevin Bacon Myth
Most people have about 6 degrees of separation (small world theory), but not everyone has 6 degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon or any other given person.
Discoveries are Often Discovered Independently By Multiple People Fact
Multiple discovery is the hypothesis that many discoveries and inventions are made independently, and more or less simultaneously, by multiple people.
Jediism is an Actual Religion Fact
Jediism, is a religion / belief system based on the philosophy and life practices of the Jedi from the fictional Star Wars universe.
Blog Posts tagged with "Collective Intelligence"
Types of Conflict Theories
We explain Marx’s conflict theory and other conflict theories to show how tension between social, political, material, and other forces manifest.
Commodity Fetishism, Consumerism, the Society of the Spectacle, Alienation, and More
We define terms related to “the society of the spectacle” like commodity fetishism, consumerism, “proletarianization,” and alienation.
Giving Names to Concepts
We discuss “giving names to concepts” (defining terms), identifying with terms, be identified by terms, and the implications of this.
The United States as a Concept
The United States can be thought of as a union of diverse and sovereign regions, of sovereign people, who agree on the basic principles of democracy, republicanism, federalism, and liberalism in general.
Separation of Powers Metaphor
The four “elements” (or “powers”) that form the foundation of government can roughly be expressed as: citizens, executive, legislative, and judicial.