From: jimruttshow8596
Relevance realization is a core concept in cognitive science that addresses how living agents effectively navigate and make sense of an overwhelmingly complex world [00:19:34]. It posits that meaning is not simply found in the world or imposed by the individual, but rather cultivated through an ongoing, transactive process [00:19:09].
Addressing the Combinatorial Explosion
The concept of relevance realization emerges from a critique of earlier ideas in cognitive science, particularly the “erroneous thought” of Newell and Simon, who believed that all problems are fundamentally the same kind of well-defined problem [00:37:10]. This perspective overlooks the “combinatorial explosion” of potential information and inferences that agents face [00:26:11].
Instead of a single general problem-solving algorithm, as Newell and Simon sought [00:33:00], most real-world problems are “ill-defined” [00:33:32], such as how to educate a child to be a useful and happy adult [00:33:35]. The ability to find and formulate problems in an insightful way is a significant part of human intelligence [00:36:39].
Mechanism over Algorithm
Relevance realization operates as a mechanism, not an algorithm [00:35:50]. This distinction is crucial because an algorithm relies on an essence or fixed definition, which relevance realization lacks [00:35:52].
Much like Darwin’s theory of adaptation, which describes a dynamical system where adaptivity is constantly being remade rather than fixed [00:37:30], relevance realization describes a process in the brain analogous to evolution [00:38:19]. This process involves variation, selection, and regeneration to ensure the brain is “cognitively fitted” to its ever-changing environment [00:38:46]. This aligns with the “no free lunch theorem,” which mathematically proves that no single general problem-solver can exist for all problems [00:33:57].
Embodied and Embedded Nature
Relevance realization is described as an embodied and embedded dynamical system operating below the propositional level [00:44:06]. It is grounded in an economic/pragmatic model, considering limitations of time and processing resources [00:51:48]. This “bioeconomic” level is evident in processes like arousal, which is calibrated by the autonomic nervous system’s sympathetic and parasympathetic biases, constantly pushing and pulling to maintain dynamic stability [00:45:00].
This affective ladenness means that every act of relevance realization is intertwined with “caring” [00:53:08], as individuals “pay attention” by investing their “cognitive coinage” in particular aspects of the world [00:53:08].
Intelligence and Attention
Relevance realization is considered the underlying engine that supports general intelligence (G) [00:47:25]. While G is a powerful predictor of many life dimensions [00:48:09], measures of G are not predictive of performance on tasks involving reasoning or rationality [00:49:01]. Rationality is viewed as a higher-order recursive enhancement of our abilities, specifically improving our relevance realization machinery to track truth more closely [00:49:37].
Attention is deeply connected to relevance realization, functioning as the process of prioritizing signals, being both bottom-up and top-down [00:54:40].
Phenomenology of Relevance Realization: Religio and Spirituality
A challenging but pivotal discussion links relevance realization to the notion of spirituality and “religio” [00:56:06]. The argument is that relevance realization can explain key features often associated with spirituality:
- Self-transcendence: The capacity for qualitative development and moments of insight [00:58:59].
- Deep connectedness: The dynamic coupling of the agent to the world [00:59:40].
- Primordiality and Mystery: Relevance realization is deeper than conceptual or propositional thought, prior to beliefs [01:02:51]. It’s a “phenomenological mystery” because one cannot step outside of it to observe it directly [01:13:15].
- Affordance of Wisdom and Self-deception: It provides access to wisdom but can also drive self-deception [00:58:34].
This integrated experience, which provides a sense of purpose, depth, coherence, and mattering [01:17:51], is termed “religio” – meaning “binding” – and is seen as the underlying functionality that traditional religion historically provided [01:00:54]. It’s considered “transjective,” meaning it’s neither purely subjective nor objective, but rather relates them and makes them both possible [01:16:00].
The “Three Ns” of Stability
Christianity, during the Axial Age, provided a powerful Augustinian sense of stability through three “Ns” [01:15:02]:
- Narrative Order: The sense that one’s personal story fits within a larger cosmic narrative, providing purpose [01:15:50].
- Normative Order: An account of how self-transcendence is possible, enabling individuals to improve and become “more real,” contributing to a sense of depth or significance [01:16:28].
- Nomological Order: A meta-meaning system that makes the world intelligible and coherent, providing a sense of meaning in life [01:17:09].
These three orders, collectively, contribute to a sense of “mattering,” connecting the individual to themselves, the world, and other people [01:17:51].
Symbols and Sacredness
Symbols are not mere signs but rich metaphors that provoke insight by altering the “salience landscaping” of something [01:33:30]. They allow us to hold in mind complex, incohate concepts like “justice” by re-engaging deep cognitive machinery, such as the cerebellum-frontal cortex loop for balance [01:35:39]. This “enacted metaphor” triggers machinery, enabling both practice and reflection [01:36:22].
However, symbols are also inherently dangerous [01:37:02]. The distinction between “sacredness” and “the sacred” is crucial [01:22:26]:
- Sacredness: Refers to the psycho-existential experience – the process of sense-making, realization, and transformation [01:22:12].
- The Sacred: Refers to the metaphysical proposal about what causes this experience [01:22:29].
The goal is to understand the phenomenology and functionality of sacredness independently of specific metaphysical claims [01:23:43]. The experience of sacredness can be described as a state of awe, a “sense of the really real” that is auto-normative, calling for self-transformation [01:24:10].
Cultivation of Meaning and the Future
Nietzsche’s proclamation of “God is dead” signified the end of the viability of the Axial Age worldview, leaving a void [00:43:21]. Pseudo-religious movements like Nazism and Marxism, and even contemporary hyper-politicization [00:37:37], arose to fill this void by elevating propositions and ideologies over deeper meaning-making machinery [00:09:13].
Rather than trying to find or impose meaning, the emphasis is on “meaning cultivation” [00:18:41]. This metaphor suggests an active role in fostering meaning while also responding to processes outside of oneself, akin to cultivating a plant [00:19:11]. This approach transcends both empiricism (blank slate) and romanticism (empty canvas) [00:19:26].
Psychotechnologies, such as literacy or mindfulness practices, can profoundly alter the parameters of relevance realization, leading to self-transcendence [01:19:53]. The idea of a “religion that’s not a religion” is proposed as a project to deeply understand “religio” and develop ecologies of practices to enhance it [01:29:36], aiming to do better than past traditions in addressing the modern meaning crisis [01:30:01].