Intelligence principle

The Intelligence Principle is a hypothetical central idea of cultural evolution.

Devised by the historian of science Steven J. Dick, and outlined in his 2003 paper "Cultural Evolution, the Postbiological Universe and SETI," the Intelligence Principle describes a potential binding tendency among all intelligent societies, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial:

The maintenance, improvement and perpetuation of knowledge and intelligence is the central driving force of cultural evolution, and that to the extent intelligence can be improved, it will be improved.

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