Chapter 5: Human Thinking Systems and the General Information Theory

This chapter focuses on establishing the conceptual foundation of the macroscopic perspective (structure and processes) of human thinking systems—the conceptualization of the general information theory (a component of the complexity-intelligence strategy). In this analysis, the human thinking system is perceived to be comprised of two components namely, the energy–matter subsystem (the natural component), and the physical symbol subsystem (an artificial component unique to humanity). The general procedure in which the human mind handles and exploits one or more physical symbol systems (symbols manipulation) is analyzed. The conceptual development encompassing the creation of the character set, capturing and transformation of data and information, acquisition of knowledge and emergent of wisdom (the four external entities), and the significance of a written language, as well as the additional associated functions are investigated.

The unique ability of creating a character set is confined to humanity indicating that human thinking systems are the most intense intelligence sources on this planet. The intrinsic and interactive properties of the character set and the language depict the characteristics and sophistication/ complexity of the physical symbol system. Besides interacting among themselves (data, information, knowledge and wisdom), these external entities also interact with the natural entities, the information-coded energy quanta, according to certain rules and principles. Subsequently, the energy quanta interact with the information-coded matter structure (the brain’s complex neural network). This unique ability (the presence of a written language) allows knowledge to be stored externally, and abstract concepts (including theory) and complex strategizing to emerge for the first time in the human world. In this respect, in the intense human intelligence source (individual or collective), information and knowledge exists in physical, energy and matter forms, and they are inter-convertible (internalization and externalization). The interactions among the six entities and the conversion from one form to another vividly review the presence of the uniqueness of the human thinking system, as well as the orgmind — greatly redefining the interactions and dynamic in the humanity and its organizations.

Subsequently, the boundaries and objectives of human thinking systems as information processing systems, and the necessity of artificial information systems are conceived as four postulates. In the intelligent organization theory, a deeper comprehension of the human thinking systems (complex adaptive systems) is vital, as they are the vital assets closely associated with the nurturing of highly intelligent human organizations (iCAS), including the coherency and contributions of a multi-layer intelligent structure (intelligent biotic macro-structure and agent-agent/system micro-structure). In this respect, the cognitive perspective must be better comprehended and utilized.