“The expression ‘collective intelligence’ relates to an extensive body of knowledge and thoughts concerned with several objects that have been diversely labeled: distributed cognition, distributed knowledge systems, global brain, super-brain, global mind, group mind, ecology of mind, hive mind, learning organization, connected intelligence, networked intelligence, augmented intelligence, hyper-cortex, symbiotic man, etc. Notwithstanding their diversity, these several rich philosophical and scientific contemporary trends have one feature in common: they describe human communities, organizations and cultures exhibiting ‘mind-like’ properties, such as learning, perceiving, acting, thinking, problem-solving, and so on… Intelligence refers to the main cognitive powers: perception, action planning and coordination, memory, imagination and hypothesis generation, inquisitiveness and learning abilities. The expression ‘collective intelligence’ designates the cognitive powers of a group.” (Frequently Asked Questions about collective intelligence, 2003).
The emphasis on CI’s cognitive dimension is strong in the work of Pierre Lévy but he also acknowledges: “[E]mphasis on cognition does not intend to diminish the essential roles of emotions, bodies, medias, sign systems, social relations, technologies, biological environment or physical support in collective intelligence processes. The study of collective intelligence (abbreviated as CI) constitutes an inter-discipline aspiring as much to a dialogue between human and social sciences as with the technical, artistic and spiritual traditions. Its goal is to understand and improve collective learning and the creative process.” (Strategy to build a CI network, manuscript by Pierre Lévy, 2003.)