What is intelligence and how to enhance it with speed reading
Defining Intelligence
Intelligence, in its simplest form, can be described as the ability to represent information in the mind and to manipulate that information in a useful, effective and efficient way. This working definition, drawn from cognitive science and AI research, views intelligence as having two core components: the capacity to represent information and the capacity to manipulate it effectively.
These capacities are sometimes referred to as cognitive primitives. They are the building blocks of thought, enabling individuals to take in, hold, and transform knowledge to solve problems, create ideas, and make decisions. In this view, intelligence is not just about what you know, but how flexibly, effectively and efficiently you can use that knowledge.
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In human psychology, intelligence is often understood more broadly. Classical definitions include:
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The ability to learn from experience and adapt to new situations (Wechsler, 1944).
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The global capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with their environment (Gottfredson, 1997).
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The ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, and learn quickly (Neisser et al., 1996).
While these definitions vary in emphasis, they all share the idea that intelligence involves processing information in ways that lead to effective action and adaptation.
How Intelligence Works in Practice
Intelligence relies on:
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Representation – the creation of mental models, images, symbols, or concepts that capture relevant aspects of the world or reality.
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Manipulation – the transformation of these representations to generate insight, solve problems, or create new knowledge.
In humans, there appears to be a notable threshold around an IQ of 130 to 140. Individuals at or above this level are typically able to generate any cognitive primitive, meaning that, given sufficient time and resources, they can learn almost any subject or skill. The key difference between individuals of varying intelligence often lies in speed – those with higher intelligence can process and apply information more rapidly.
This speed factor also underpins performance in areas such as chess, mathematics, or programming. The faster a person can understand, manipulate, and recall relevant information, the more efficiently they can perform.
The Analogy from Artificial Intelligence
In AI research, the concept of an intelligence optimum refers to a point where a system can perform every necessary representation and every manipulation of those representations. Once an AI reaches this optimum, adding more computational resources may not fundamentally improve its abilities, but could make it faster or more energy efficient.
For humans, the equivalent would be mastering the full set of cognitive primitives, enabling the flexible application of knowledge across domains. The aim then becomes improving processing efficiency – which is where speed reading enters the picture.
Towards Broad and Integrated Artificial Intelligence
The evolution of artificial intelligence appears to be moving steadily towards systems with an “anything to anything” capability – the capacity to internally represent and manipulate any form of digital information, linking perception with output to create a truly unified form of intelligence. Initially, embodiment and visuospatial intelligence were often considered useful but not essential for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), given that species such as chimpanzees and pigeons also possess these abilities. However, visuospatial skills can be highly valuable for practical purposes such as robotics, drone control, and other real-world physical applications, even if they play a smaller role in abstract intellectual work in areas like calculus or thermodynamics.
A key factor driving progress towards AGI is convergence – the observation that training AI across a wide range of tasks and modalities tends to improve performance across all other domains. This parallels human intelligence, where learning multiple languages, developing reasoning skills, or acquiring a wide breadth of knowledge often boosts abilities in unrelated areas. In humans, this cross-domain improvement is enhanced by the speed at which information can be gathered, processed, and applied. Just as AI models become more capable when exposed to divergent and challenging inputs, people strengthen their own general intelligence by rapidly absorbing and connecting ideas from different fields.
Speed reading plays a similar role for humans as multimodal training does for AI: it increases the volume and variety of high-quality information available to the mind, enabling richer mental representations and faster, more flexible manipulation of knowledge. By reading widely and efficiently, individuals can build cognitive breadth and agility, leading to better performance not only in their primary area of expertise but also in seemingly unrelated domains.
While the long-term goal in AI is to create general intelligence systems capable of tackling a vast range of applications, highly specialised tools, such as AlphaFold for protein folding, will continue to play a vital role in delivering deep domain expertise. In both human and machine intelligence, it is this combination of breadth and specialisation – integrated into a dynamic, adaptive ecosystem – that offers the greatest potential for solving complex, cross-domain problems.
Minimising Surprise – A Deeper Principle of Intelligence
Donald Hoffman, a cognitive scientist with a long-standing background in artificial intelligence since 1979 and PhD research at MIT’s AI laboratory, highlights both the promise and the limitations of current large language models. While he acknowledges their impressive capacity for memory and their ability to compute correlations, he argues that they “do not really understand things” and are, in his words, “dumber than cucumbers”. Hoffman points to the work of neuroscientist Karl Friston, whose theory of active inference reframes intelligence as the capacity to minimise surprise. According to this perspective, intelligent systems operate by developing internal models of the world that allow them to anticipate events, thereby reducing the gap between expectation and reality. The more intelligent you are, and the more you know, the less the world has the power to surprise you.
This process is grounded in the free energy principle, which asserts that adaptive systems survive by limiting the difference between predicted and actual sensory input (Friston, 2010). Hoffman agrees that minimising surprise offers a deeper framework for building AI than correlation-based learning. He further notes that his own recently developed logic also achieves this minimisation, and he intends to apply it in constructing a new form of AI based on his model of consciousness. This design, built on Markov chains and the structural principles of conscious experience, could yield systems that are not only functionally intelligent but also potentially indistinguishable from consciousness itself, raising profound questions about the nature of intelligence and the future of machine cognition. Read the summary of Hoffman, D. D. (2019). The case against reality
The faster you can read and process information, the faster you can think, act, and succeed.
Speed Reading as a Tool to Build Intelligence
Speed reading is not merely about reading faster for its own sake. In the context of intelligence, it is about increasing the efficiency of information representation and manipulation. By learning to absorb and process information more quickly, you can expand your cognitive capacity and enhance your intellectual toolkit.
From a practical standpoint, speed reading helps to:
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Increase information input – the faster you can read, the more knowledge you can expose yourself to in a given time frame.
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Improve mental models – by accessing diverse sources, you enrich your internal representations, which can be combined and manipulated in new ways.
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Strengthen working memory – speed reading techniques train the mind to hold and process larger chunks of information without losing coherence.
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Enhance pattern recognition – the more information you process, the better you become at spotting connections, analogies, and structures across different subjects.
Over time, this contributes to what could be described as “intellectual compounding”, where your existing knowledge accelerates your ability to learn new things.
Personal and Professional Benefits of Linking Intelligence and Speed Reading
The connection between intelligence and speed reading becomes evident when considering the demands of modern life. Both personal growth and professional success often depend on the ability to absorb, interpret, and apply information quickly.
For example:
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Professionals can stay ahead in their fields by keeping up with the latest research, industry trends, and reports without feeling overwhelmed.
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Students can process academic texts, lectures, and research papers more efficiently, allowing more time for critical thinking and problem-solving.
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Entrepreneurs can review market data, competitor strategies, and customer feedback rapidly, enabling faster and better decision-making.
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Individuals in personal life can read books, articles, and guides on topics such as health, finance, hobbies, and personal development more quickly, enabling them to make informed lifestyle choices and pursue their interests with greater depth and confidence.
In all these cases, speed reading serves as a multiplier for intelligence by increasing the efficiency of the two key processes: representing information and manipulating it.
Speed as a Catalyst for Success and Intelligence
Speed readers often achieve greater success because they are able to access high quality information more quickly than their peers. In a world where timely knowledge is a competitive advantage, the ability to gather, process, and apply accurate information at speed translates into faster decision-making, more innovative thinking, and greater adaptability. The more an individual practises speed reading principles, recognises textual patterns, and applies proven techniques, the more efficient their cognitive processing becomes. This not only accelerates learning but also sharpens analytical and creative skills, resulting in a measurable increase in intellectual agility and overall smartness. In essence, the faster you can read and process information, the faster you can think, act, and succeed.
Speed Reading Faster = An Essential Upgrade for Your Mind
Speed Reading Faster by Jan Cisek and Susan Norman is designed to give you a powerful return on your time investment. In just 20 minutes, you will be able to get on top of your essential speed reading skills, take control of your reading workload, and unlock the capacity to process information at a pace that enhances both your efficiency and your intelligence. This is not simply a book about reading faster – it is a practical, results-focused guide that equips you with tools to transform the way you learn, think, and apply knowledge. By mastering the techniques inside, you will join the ranks of people who can access high quality information swiftly, think more clearly, and make better decisions. If you are serious about personal growth, professional success, and staying ahead in a fast-moving world, Speed Reading Faster is an essential book to keep on your reading list and, more importantly, to put into action immediately.
Practical Tips for Using Speed Reading to Enhance Intelligence
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Set clear goals for your reading – know exactly what you want to gain from a text before starting. This sharpens your representation of the material.
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Preview before deep reading – skim for headings, keywords, and structure to form a mental map of the content.
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Use peripheral vision – practise widening your gaze to take in more words per fixation, and therefore more knowledge.
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Chunk information – group related words or ideas to reduce cognitive load and improve retention.
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Alternate speed with focus – read quickly for general understanding, then slow down for sections requiring deep analysis.
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Link new information to existing knowledge – strengthen your cognitive network by connecting new material with what you already know (your schema i.e. the total knowledge you have).
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Regularly review – spaced repetition consolidates memory and enhances long-term manipulation of the information.
Summary
Intelligence can be seen as the twin abilities to represent and manipulate information effectively. In humans, this capacity is influenced by both the breadth of knowledge and the speed with which it can be processed. Speed reading directly supports the development of these abilities by increasing the rate of information intake and strengthening the mental models that underpin intelligent thought.
By practising speed reading techniques, as outlined in Speed Reading Faster by Jan Cisek and Susan Norman, individuals can enhance both the input and processing sides of intelligence. The result is a more agile, informed, and adaptive mind – better equipped to navigate the complexities of modern personal and professional life.
The more intelligent you are, and the more you know, the less the world has the power to surprise you.
References
Friston, K. (2010). The free-energy principle: A unified brain theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2787
Hoffman, D. D. (2019). The case against reality: Why evolution hid the truth from our eyes. W. W. Norton & Company. Read the summary of Hoffman, D. D. (2019). The case against reality
Friston, K., FitzGerald, T., Rigoli, F., Schwartenbeck, P., & Pezzulo, G. (2017). Active inference: A process theory. Neural Computation, 29(1), 1–49. https://doi.org/10.1162/NECO_a_00912
Gottfredson, L. S. (1997). Mainstream science on intelligence: An editorial with 52 signatories, history, and bibliography. Intelligence, 24(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-2896(97)90011-8
Neisser, U., Boodoo, G., Bouchard Jr, T. J., Boykin, A. W., Brody, N., Ceci, S. J., … & Urbina, S. (1996). Intelligence: Knowns and unknowns. American Psychologist, 51(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.2.77
Wechsler, D. (1944). The measurement of adult intelligence (3rd ed.). Williams & Wilkins.