# Intelligence - what is it?

**URL:** <https://discourse.numenta.org/t/intelligence-what-is-it/4802>\
**Category:** Lounge\
**Created:** [October 24, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://discourse.numenta.org/t/intelligence-what-is-it/4802 "2018-10-24T15:02:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 19

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**Author:** ![Bitking](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.numenta.org/bitking/32/3099_2.png) [@Bitking](https://discourse.numenta.org/u/Bitking)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://discourse.numenta.org/t/intelligence-what-is-it/4802/19 "2018-10-24T20:04:49Z")

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I do think that as much as most newbie AGI researchers would like to pull emotions out of consideration as an un-necessary complication - I see them as a feature and not a bug.

> [@Could Nociceptor be relevant/critical to developing intelligence?](https://discourse.numenta.org/t/could-nociceptor-be-relevant-critical-to-developing-intelligence/1559/13):
>
> My take is that the old brain structures are configured to work somewhat like a Hopfield or Boltzmann network with each of the nodes being one of the basic behavior states like feeding, fleeing, fighting, mating, seeking shelter, sleeping, drinking, exploring, grooming, nesting, whatever else you can think of. The various body sensors are inputs to this tipping the current state to whatever has the strongest input. The sensory system has memory associated with it that registers the elements of…

Note the key phrase:  
In the Rita Carter book “Mapping the mind” chapter four starts out with Elliot, a man that was unable to feel emotion due to the corresponding emotional response areas being inactivated due to a tumor removal. Without this emotional coloring he was unable to judge anything as good or bad and was unable to select the actions appropriate to the situation. He was otherwise of normal intelligence.

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