Information is the basis of action for all living things.

Intelligence is a mechanism to solve problems (especially the ones related to survival). It includes the ability to gather knowledge, to learn, to be creative, to form strategies, or think critically.

Because we as humans are able to work together and share knowledge across generations, we can overcome challenges beyond any single individual's ability. This allowed us to shape the planet on our liking.

Being creative translates into building something new and valuable from apparently unrelated things. In the context of intelligence, this means making new and unusual connections: pairing input with memories and skills, to come up with a unique solution to a problem.

We can think of intelligence as a flexible set of skills: a toolbox. And the most basic tools in the intelligence toolbox are:

Learning is the process of putting together a sequence of thoughts and actions.

• Not all scientists agree on what counts as intelligence.
• We think of intelligence as a trait (like height or strength) but we find it difficult to define it.

Information is much more powerful if we can keep it and save it. This is where memory enters.

Gathering materials for later use is connected to an advanced dimension of problem-solving: planning.