Introduction
The Universe comprises an infinite number of properties, duration, size, intelligence and energy constituting four of its foundational or most readily discernible properties.
- This view posits the universe as unbounded (or infinite). It has always been and will be. It comprises all that exists.
- This view posits the universe’s intelligence as intrinsic and a continuum from most rudimentary possible to all-comprehending, representing every degree possible. (The Great Chain of Being)
- This view posits the universe’s energy as infinite and micro- and macroscopically intrinsic to it, whether that energy manifests itself in inanimate, animate or discernibly intelligent entities.
Embedded Intelligence is characterized as the ability to sense, process, communicate, and actuate (SPCA) based upon information gained from an understanding of both itself and others and for the benefit of many.
The Theory of Embedded Intelligence (EI) posits a departure from all previous cosmological theories as documented in Wikipedia under the entry Cosmology.
Philosophers have yet to provide a generally accepted account of consciousness and its origins, especially human consciousness. I posit that the foundational functions of embedded intelligence, SPCA, underlie the consciousness of all that exists, from its most rudimentary to its most complex or evolved forms, including the Universe in its entirety itself.
The Theory of Embedded Intelligence, hereafter simply “The Theory,” departs from all other cosmological theories by positing four foundational properties of what exists, namely, duration, extent, intelligence and energy, all infinite in accord with their natures. This simplified model accounts for all prior cosmological theories. The Big Bang Theory is just one more in a long line of attempts to account for the evolution of and in the Universe, that is, of all that exists.
The Theory eliminates the issue of the origin of what there is, positing it as intrinsically eternal while leaving exploration of its evolution open to investigation. The intention of The Theory underlies every investigation of the observable Universe.
One accounts for the evolution of what there is by referring to “embedded intelligence” as one of its eternal intrinsic properties. The observable Universe self-assembled from the coterminous infinite energy of what there is.
- One correlate of The Theory is that the humanly observable Universe self-assembled about 13.799 ± 0.021 billion years ago as some calculate, though others offer a different calculation.
The term “Energy” designates its so-far discovered foundational forms, gravity, electricity and magnetism. The hypothesis of a relationship between energy and mass as a means for storing energy and a relationship of motion is promising for further investigation.
- Consider the transformation of energy into mass: When, how and where did it occur? This question goes to the fundamental issue of matter’s emergence from the high density of gravitational, electric and magnetic energies one finds in stars, this galaxy’s Sun for example.
- Fusion thus becomes the transformation of these energies to form matter’s sub-atomic and atomic structures. As the fusion of these energies goes to completion, as in a supernova, the transformed material is then ejected as globs of hot matter that cools to form planets and dark, i.e., not light-emitting, matter as well as a next generation of stars that self-assemble once again into a consequent highly dense generation of gravitational, electric and magnetic regions of what there is.
Embedded Intelligence (EI) accounts for the self-assembly of all that exists on both the micro- to macroscopic level.
EI, SPCA, is the method for self-assembly that is the key to accounting for all that exists.
The Theory of Embedded Intelligence suggests that intelligence is in or within every-thing and that all naturally occurring “things” self-assemble their selves. That said humans create themselves from a cell from their mothers and a cell from their fathers with the animating energy, I call spirit herein. We do not call artificial intelligence that creates humans. I call this intelligence, embedded intelligence as I call all intelligence that creates living and nonliving things.
One can see here how a personal God enters the picture in some peoples’ imagination and myth creation. A myth is a good thing. A myth sets the bar at an unlimited unachievable height, a goal to be strived for by humans.
When humans design and build a thing then we call that thing having been “manmade”. Interestingly, when we build computers that can be programmed to do highly complex tasks we call that “artificial intelligence (AI)”.
We usually don’t call the embedded intelligence within our microwave ovens, appliances around the house, or Smartphones AI. These days we can ask our Smartphones, Smart TVs, Google or Alexa complex questions. This is a form of AI although we don’t commonly think of it that way. Once we call it “smart” we use that term instead of AI, AI and Smart could be thought of as interchangeable. Likewise, we don’t think of a flower as having EI, although it does. Flowers have an amazing EI to be a flower.
I hypothesize that Embedded Intelligence (EI), is evident in everything that exists, whether it be inanimate or animate (a life form), a system (organic or otherwise), social and cultural organizations.
I further hypothesize that in its workings EI has infinite possible outcomes, among which are human beings and other intelligent life forms. Furthermore, humans develop personal EI in the course of experience, education, and such creative activity as scientific investigation and aesthetic production.
The earliest mythological concepts and continuing on today could be considered as evolving from this first intelligence. Evolution can be thought of as a characteristic of embedded intelligence that can learn and be self-modifying. Today we are building “machine learning” into manmade EI sometimes referred to as Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is used to differentiate manmade EI from naturally occurring EI.
The human education system is of special import in understanding EI, use, and expression in ever-expanding complex systems, both unassisted and assisted by human endeavor. The continued assembly of all forms is possible through understanding. We must work together to continue the progress, constructively, in knowing and understanding that which was first experienced by that first hydrogen atom for the benefit of all that was, is, or will Be!
Where are we going from the Information Age?
Some noteworthy contributors to our worldwide embedded intelligence are, Google, for making the Universe’s and humanity’s information searchable, Facebook for socially connecting people, and Twitter for connecting people with simple and convenient digital messages.
About 250 years ago Ben Franklin, a world-leading electricity scientist on lightning, lamented that he couldn’t think of one thing for which electricity was useful. Ben Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society (APS) for the “Promotion of Useful Knowledge” in 1743. Now look at all that humanity has created that is powered by electricity to operate, extend, and evolve the embedded intelligence of our wonder-full world.
With your help, are we going to the Fifth Age of Understanding?
With the Information Age, empowered by microprocessor embedded intelligence technology, evolving our abilities to access, search, and research all kinds of topics, we are on the threshold of the Fifth Age of Understanding. Each and every one of us can now pursue knowing any topic and then understand the said topic. We have to be ready to learn and understand. When we are ready to learn, no one can stop us now. The barriers of understanding have been lifted in the Fifth Age of Understanding, mind, body, soul, and the Universe we live in.
Four Ages of Understanding: The First Postmodern Survey of Philosophy from Ancient Times to the Turn of the Twenty-First Century is a book by John Deely, published in 2001. I propose herein the Fifth Age of Understanding picking up where Deely leaves off.
What is the difference between AI and EI?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one form of “human-made intelligence” which is embedded into things becoming EI. EI is all categories of intelligence creating non-living and living things, naturally occurring or otherwise.
Why was The Theory of Embedded Intelligence written?
I am an electrical engineer educated at four (4) USA colleges of engineering. The four universities are Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, and Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
I have been asked to join advisory councils at four universities’ colleges of engineering. The four universities I have advised over for more than twenty (20) years are Temple University, The University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, The University of Arizona, and Arizona State University.
Simply stated, I have a strong interest in education and support of education. That said, I enjoy learning about how many diverse things work and curious about many topics. My fascination is related to both naturally occurring and human made things and events.
Looking back at my career as a semiconductor engineer with a focus on embedded intelligence technology in the form of microprocessor and microprocessing technology, I discovered that human created embedded intelligence in some ways mimics naturally occurring embedded intelligence. Then I started thinking about maybe human-made embedded intelligence could inform on nature’s embedded intelligence. Humans could learn from human-made EI, suggesting that humans could learn about our own species and all living things.
Furthermore, I started thinking about all forms of matter both living and non-living. Discovering that there must be an embedded intelligence in all things in order to exist from the smallest atomic structures to the most complex structures of matter and organizations of matter and living things and organizations of living things. Embedded intelligence is a simple but elegant concept. Since all “things” are forms of energy, all things found a way to convert from energy, survive, and continue to exist.
I faced two choices for understanding our world. One, something internally of the thing had created everything in the known Universe, and two, something externally had created everything.
What was it that could begin to tell the story that informed all that exists? There must be one essential ingredient in all things and that must be what we call intelligence. Intelligence that informed energy to create atomic matter at the smallest level. Likewise, intelligence creates the most complex levels of existence. Something embedded, that is intelligence, did the work of creating. The thing that did the embedding was the thing itself through the use of its very own unique intelligence.
From time immemorial, the Universe’s presence has been an object of significant theological and philosophical speculation. The Theory of Embedded Intelligence can shed new light on that presence, yielding a richer comprehension of its processes and phenomena.
It is through “sciences” or “scientific discovery methods” that we begin to unravel the mysteries of life and all that is observed.
Furthermore, it is through understanding that all things both large and small, complex and simple, have an embedded intelligence to exist and survive. All things are comprised of energy at the lowest form and the grandest form. We are therefore all One.
It is my “belief” that through “understanding” and/or the “pursuit of understanding” that humanity/life is sustainable on planet Earth and/or anywhere in the Universe.
The concept of “peace” or “perpetual peace” is an idealistic view of the world that evolves through conflict. The more realistic view of our world is the pursuit of understanding. Only understanding can promote resolution of conflict on any level of human endeavor.
Evolution requires conflict with status quo!!
How and why would one refer to and/or use The Theory of EI?
The Theory of Embedded Intelligence can be used as a foundation of understanding all things.
Humanity has found serious conflict of opinions, economies, communities, cultures, and beliefs. Once we know and understand we can begin to apply what we know and understand.
We have a choice. Do we want to know, understand, and apply what we understand, or on the other hand do we NOT want to know, understand, and apply what we know and understand?
Whenever we follow a belief instead of knowledge and understanding we make a choice and that is simply to NOT know and understand. Not knowing and not understanding results in conflicts of beliefs instead of sharing what we know and understand. Simply stated, “believing” when we can know and understand confuses and defeats our individual embedded intelligence and therefore our collective embedded intelligence.
It has been my observation that conflicts of beliefs are the core issue facing humanity! Understanding and applying The Theory of Embedded Intelligence is a method for eliminating unnecessary conflict. Replacing conflict with synergy benefits all living and non-living things.
As one contemplates The Theory consider that unexamined acceptance of Dogmas from any given age unnecessarily retards innovation and human intellectual evolution.
Consider this article from Scientific American “When Scientific Orthodoxy Resembles Religion Dogma”.
The time is now to re-view and re-new the understanding of all significant philosophies, beliefs, myths, religious documents, and scientific understandings and orthodoxy under the microscope of The Theory of Embedded Intelligence aka The Theory for the benefit of all.
Dr. Ted Humphrey says as he reflects, June 6, 2021, on The Theory:
“I would go about the “isms” issue differently from the way you have suggested: Religious and other metaphysical “isms” offer only dead ends, that is, to my way of thinking, appeals to ignorance because they have no effective or practical explanatory, that is, problem-solving, power from within the context of what there is. They push explanation to and beyond the boundaries of what there is, which is to say, to or beyond the bounds of observable verifiability. One cannot call on them to give an account of what actually occurs in the domain of the directly observable. Who cares what the origins of what there is may be or even what its ultimate nature may be? To be sure, we humans have an abiding, insatiable drive to make sense of our lives and thus search for beginnings and ends, causes and reasons, but the only domain in which we can do so is the one we find ourselves in, and in that one we find ourselves caught in an unending sequence of events or happenings. Best to stick with the relative here and now.
Humankind’s primary interest is adopting a view and methodology that allows it, if not to understand, at least to explore and solve problems within the bounds of experience and observability. This is an empiricist and pragmatic view, the view of the engineer. That’s what EI and particularly the SPCA element of it are. What the nature of the I of EI and the S of SPCA may be may well remain something of a surd to us, a matter of discussion to be sure, but we can nonetheless agree that the I is embedded and that the S is its primary manifestation in the observable totality of what there is. The assertion of SPCA tells us what to look for when we want solutions to questions regarding the domain in which we find ourselves. Thus, my challenge: One can use SPCA to solve questions and create a world more amenable to full human existence. Can you the dogmatic religious believer or metaphysician do so? The response of true believing dogmatists can only be “no” because they have of necessity to appeal to entities or forces at or beyond the limits of the observable. What the religious or metaphysical dogmatist offers is “It’s fate or God’s will” or “God will provide” or, the true gem “God always answers prayer. Sometimes the answer is no.” When is the answer yes? When one gets what one wants. When no? When one doesn’t get what one wants. Not much explanation or real world help in any of that.
You want to know what is going on and how it does so? Go find the SPCA. Period.”
For those who might be wondering, with great pleasure I tell you, Ted and I are “great good friends and thought partners (ggf&tp)” for more than twenty five (25) years.
-William (Bill) D. Mensch Jr.
March 2010 – Present