A Theory of Human Hypercognition

[Magical Realist]

I had a little trouble finding a name for what I meant here--by which I mean the ability of the human mind to sometimes transcend all personal and empirically obtained knowledge and exist in a state of holistic knowingness and understanding. I believe this happens far more often than we suspect, and often leads to great changes in our history that go beyond what any normal human could achieve. The emergence of certain religious figures like Buddha and Krishna and Christ are examples of a human consciousness suddenly leaping into a higher domain of hypercognitive understanding. Certain other figures as well qualify, scientists such as Newton and Einstein and writers such as Plato and Shakespeare and Kant. I had to steal the term "hypercognition" from the video game world, as "metacognition", "supercognition", and "transcognition" were already taken.

I personally believe even ordinary people can have moments of hypercognition in which they see everything at once, as if out of time, as one interlocking whole. Moments in emergency situations where rescuers or military warriors instantly access a situation and do exactly what is needed to be done. Such esteemed figures as Alexander the Great and Napolean. It is just one among many faculties that lie dormant in the recesses of our massively quasi-intelligent mind, others including precognition, telepathy, clairvoyance, dream inspiration, PK, OOBEs, supermemory, thought forms, mediumship, channeling, apportation, synchronicity, healings, remote viewing, and who knows what else. As a species I believe we are evolving towards a state of being able to access these latent "superpowers" deliberately and as needed, implying a future where most humans will be psionic beings with extreme trans-physical capabilities.

[Syne]

Or... it only seems extraordinary from your perspective. Some people are literally just geniuses... applied to many different realms of life.

[Secular Sanity]

Yeah, there’s paper’s saying that Einstein had a thicker corpus callosum and enhanced connectivity. Same thing probably happens during emergency situations.

[Magical Realist]

Or... it only seems extraordinary from your perspective. Some people are literally just geniuses... applied to many different realms of life.

I agree. We call those who know how to access this normally unconscious faculty geniuses, but I don't think it arises only rarely out of a mutation of DNA. I think the potential for hypercognition lies in all of us, and may be accessed, if only rarely, in moments where it is needed or intentionally evoked. There are some written passages for example that are so good I swear they were meant to be. Some heroic actions that defy explanation. And great works of art, poetry, and music seem the divinely inspired.

[Syne]

Genius is not unconscious. Where it impacts society, it is deliberate and deliberative.

[Magical Realist]

"... the brain's ability to generate genius-level thinking can be deeply intertwined with subconscious processes. While conscious thought is what we are aware of, the vast majority of brain activity—including the complex processing, memory recall, and creative connections that contribute to genius—happens outside of our awareness. We experience the result of this unconscious work, such as a sudden insight or a solved problem, without being privy to the intricate neural computations that made it possible.

Unconscious processing: Much of what we experience as "thinking" is actually the result of complex processes we aren't aware of. Genius-level problem-solving can be the output of this unconscious processing, where the brain makes connections and retrieves information in ways that would be overwhelming if we were consciously aware of them.

Intuition and insights: The "aha!" moments associated with genius often come from the subconscious mind. These insights feel like they come out of nowhere, but they are the result of the brain working on problems below the level of conscious awareness, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as intuition."

Accessing unconscious power: Some research suggests that while conscious thought is necessary for meaning and application, the unconscious mind plays a role in accessing potential answers or ideas. The ability to tap into this deeper processing can be a key component of genius."

Google AI

[Syne]

Reductive materialism.

[Magical Realist]

Materialism is true, but only in the same provisional sense that one facet of the diamond is a true picture of the whole diamond. The entirety of the Real is only grasped thru many often seemingly opposing and shifting perspectives.

[Syne]

Relegating genius to "unconscious processing" of "the brain," is reducing genius (and much of a person) to the material of a brain.
If that reductive materialism doesn't really hold true, then neither does attributing genius to the unconscious.

[Magical Realist]

All scientific research proves the existence of unconscious or automated mental processes. We are constantly relying on these processes to survive in the world. If for one second you had to do all the things consciously your unconscious does for you you'd be overwhelmed. There's no way you could deliberately perform all the operations controlling all the motor events of your body like walking or eating or talking. It's just the way it is.

"Unconscious mental processes are thoughts, feelings, and desires that occur outside of conscious awareness but still influence our behavior, perception, and decision-making. These processes are automatic and can include instincts, repressed memories, implicit biases, and the automatic processing of sensory information. Cognitive psychology views them as mental operations that happen without explicit intent, while psychoanalysis emphasizes their role in shaping personality and behavior through mechanisms like repression.

Key characteristics

Below conscious awareness: Unlike conscious thoughts, these processes are not something we can report on or have explicit access to.

Influences behavior: They can lead to actions or choices that seem unprompted or driven by hidden motivations.

Automated and efficient: They are essential for handling complex information and performing tasks simultaneously without conscious effort, such as motor programming or perceptual analysis.

Two main types:

Implicit or subliminal processes: These are mental activities that are too weak or fast for conscious awareness to register. An example is subliminal priming, where a stimulus is presented so quickly that the person is not aware of it, yet it can still influence subsequent behavior.

Preattentive processing: This involves information that is potentially conscious but is currently unattended.

Sources of influence: Unconscious processes can be the source of biases, fears, and attitudes that affect major life decisions.

Origin and evolution of the concept:

Sigmund Freud: Popularized the idea of the unconscious as a reservoir of repressed memories, desires, and conflicts that profoundly shape our adult personality.

Modern cognitive psychology: Has expanded on Freud's ideas, studying unconscious processes through methods like priming experiments and showing their impact on areas like decision-making and memory."