The end of the second intermediary phase before any evolving intelligence, whenever and wherever in the universe, reaches maturity and full deployment.

(Extended definition of "Point Omega")

✰✰ <level 2>   For understanding the evolution of intelligence, we need to consider a couple of unfamiliar notions. These notions are indispensable for a clear understanding of what intelligence is all about, what is its usefulness and evolutionary rationale, and what are the conditions under which intelligence can reach higher levels.

As the evolutionary baseline in the evolution of intelligence, let's start considering the ordinary state of modest intelligence which is a customary option for all evolving phyla and which is limited by ordinary evolutionary forces, protecting the integrity of the proximate behavioural organization. In figure 1 this period in evolution in which a developing intelligence is being blocked by these evolutionary forces is indicated as the time between (B) and (C).

Fig.1 about here *********************

Text in figure 1:

Phases in the Evolution of Intelligence

Text to figure 1:

The logarithmic time scale in figure 1 signifies that:

• The period of time from (A) to (B), +/- 100M years, is much longer than the period of time from (B) to (C), +/- 15M years, and
• The period of time from (B) to (C), +/- 15M years, is much longer than the period of time from (C) to (D), +/- 1,5M years.

(A): Early intelligence phase

(B): Evolving intelligence being stopped by the usual intelligence boundary

(C): Intelligence breaking out of boundary after the development of Self-Blindness

(D): Meme-level evolution taking over; beginning of agricultural revolution

(E): Slightly reduced intelligence induced by power structure repression

The renewed rise in intelligence after the expected Point Omega transition has not been indicated in the graph

Escaping from that general upper boundary to intelligence is only possible for a species after the development of a species-specific blindness, an incapacity to relate to one's own behaviour in an intelligent way. Only after such blindness has been established firmly at the genetic level may intelligence surpass that ordinary upper limit. What then follows is the first, and longest, intermediary phase, which we call the blindness phase, in which intelligence has become genetically blocked regarding the behaviour of oneself. Whereas such Self-Blindness may sound like a negative asset for a species, it does remove the evolutionary limiting force on intelligence, freeing the way for an increase of intelligent power.

The second intermediary phase is when innate behavioural tendencies are overruled by power structures at the meme level, which induce massive states of fear and neuroses in the intelligent carriers of those memes, that is: in "us".

The end of this second intermediary phase is when intelligence, with the support of technical developments, finally breaks through that genetically facilitated self-blindness and finally understands its own nature and structure, including its own specific blindnesses. Collective slavery, based on mass neuroses and fears as characteristic for the second intermediary phase, then comes to an end, as well as periodic mass destruction and genocide, that adequately served the genetic evolution until that moment in time. This last transition, the escape and coming of age of intelligence, is labeled "Point Omega". That Point Omega transition has not been indicated in figure 1.

This Wiki harbours detailed argumentation for this scheme of the evolution of intelligence and deals with various biological and psychological mechanisms that are of importance in the time of transition laying ahead of us.