In this article I will try to give some indication(s) on how I believe it all works, at this stage I couldn’t say whether some people have this as a unique thought process or whether everyone thinks like this and most do not realise it and even fewer fully utilise it.
Threading – Everything is connected.
By implication the whole of everything is a system, everything is connected to everything and the only aspect really is the number of steps and different linkages between all possible elements. E.g. A bullet is the same a football because they are both manufactured; a bullet is the same as a football because they are projectiles… and so forth. Perhaps it could be said these are connections of the first order. By implication you could say that Bullets are carried in leather pouches, footballs are made of leather. Leather is the connector and that is a second degree connection and so forth.
Just as the mind is making connections, it is also looking for differences. Unless an item is identical it is different, the degree of difference is a function of attributes.
Moreover, different items can have different connectivity to each other; a golf ball appears to have closer proximity to a football than a bullet to a football. A bullet seems to have more in common with a golf ball than a bullet with a football. Visual relevancy appears to gain higher expected value contribution and given it’s the primary sense this is logical. Analogies as thinking visualisations appear to offer the greatest ability to manipulate these assemblages of connections. How many patterns of these can you manipulate and create in your mind.
Also, any association between any items need not be physically present and can easily be a function of visual recollection. Items can have different attributes that impact different senses and can be threaded on these.
Similarities and differences are one and the same to some extent, they are part of an analysis to determine relevancy (Connectivity or lack of it).
Ok, given all the above, it is obvious that the level of complexity (permutations and combinations) is such that a level of prioritisation must go on, Thinking and emotional relevancy appear to be the main 2 drivers, Thinking directs and emotional relevancy prioritises.
Lastly it is this “innovative insight” which uses thinking and intuition to manipulate these assemblages of connections to solve the missing connector in a problem (puzzle) with any fit having subsequent “Eureka” logic already inbuilt. Consider findings such as Einstein’s Theory of relativity where he uses the analogy of the suns mass pressing down on an elastic plane (like a trampoline) and thus creating pull of surrounding smaller masses. Consider the finding of Archimedes and the displacement of water. There is an endless list of these episodes in innovative connective insight.
Nb: and additionally
One thing that must be understood is that thinking in connections/linkages is an innate process, such “thinking” is easier to spot when the person constantly explains information in the context of other situations which are similar, generally these are often noticed as analogies although there are far more sub analogies that are just linkages (and assemblages) which build to analogies.
Another aspect is that this mindset is all about connectivity. Learning discrete information and especially at volume can present issues, I consider this apparent when you see the eventual brightest (Conceptually innovative) performing average or lower in the initial phases of learning.
But wait... there's more...
What about the actual encoding of linkages as opposed to discrete information in terms of "memory". It would seem logical that these "linkages" are really real connections between information than the store of information itself. So, are linkages more about reconfigering thought processes and the number/orientation/routes of real linkages in the brain? As discussed in the REM article just maybe that is why the intuitive prefers to day dream more, as effectively it allows the mind more usable REM type time that it needs....
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