A Brief History of Intelligence
by Max Bennett
A Brief History of Intelligence
By Max Bennett
I have finished 37 books this year. I have abandoned a few more, but this might be the most underrated book I read this year. It's a once-in-a-decade kind of book that brings together so many interdisciplinary threads together so coherently.
Have you ever wondered how a simple worm could evolve into a species that builds spaceships and writes poetry?
Max Bennett's A Brief History of Intelligence takes you on a mind-bending journey through billions of years, revealing five key breakthroughs that shaped our intelligence.
1. Steering (Taxi Navigation)
The earliest intelligence capability evolved to allow simple steering and navigation in bilateral organisms. These organisms, symmetrical along an axis, could easily navigate left or right, making their movements more efficient.
This adaptation enabled simple steering: moving toward positive stimuli like food and avoiding negative ones like danger. It marked the beginning of basic reward signals and decision-making mechanisms.
A Roomba works similarly, navigating spaces by differentiating between "charge station vs. hurdle" to cover the entire room efficiently.
2. Reinforcement Learning
Early vertebrates developed the ability to learn from trial-and-error experiences. Imagine a chess AI refining its strategy after every game. These creatures adapted their behaviors based on environmental feedback, introducing a layer of complexity that made them more flexible and resilient.
A modern analogy is a self-learning thermostat that adjusts its settings over time based on user preferences and environmental conditions.
3. Simulating
Imagine being able to play out different scenarios in your head before making a decision. That's what mammals began doing with their neocortex. This brain region let them simulate actions and predict outcomes, enabling smarter and more energy-efficient choices.
It's akin to how a self-driving car runs countless simulations to decide the safest route. However, unlike machines, animals learned to balance speed and accuracy, avoiding risks while conserving energy.
Interestingly, the brain uses the same "simulation mode" for imagining the future and remembering the past, which is why our memories can change slightly each time we recall them.
4. Theory of mind
The next big breakthrough was "theory of mind"—the ability to understand what others might be thinking. This skill gave primates a massive advantage. They could predict others' intentions, form alliances, and strategize based on social cues.
Bennett discusses how chimpanzees demonstrate this by identifying group alliances and partnering with the right individuals to achieve their goals. This mental "mind reading" laid the groundwork for complex societies.
In modern terms, this is like virtual reality platforms, where people collaborate and solve problems in shared, simulated environments. Mentalizing allowed primates to work together effectively, just as VR facilitates teamwork today.
5. Speaking
Finally, we arrive at language—the ultimate game-changer. Language didn't just let humans share survival tips; it enabled storytelling, the creation of myths, and the building of cultures. It became the glue that held societies together, paving the way for agriculture, art, and beyond.
Bennett explains how early humans likely used language to create shared narratives, unifying groups and fostering long-term planning. This ability was critical to the growth of civilizations.
Platforms like ChatGPT may replicate some aspects of language, helping us synthesize and share ideas. But human language is distinct, deeply rooted in emotions, context, and cultural nuance. While large language models excel at recognizing patterns, they lack the lived experiences and storytelling instincts that make human communication uniquely rich.