• Generative Computation The ability to create a limitless variety of “expressions” from a generative catalyst of modest content. Think Beethoven’s four-note theme, which he spun into the Fifth Symphony.
• Promiscuous Combination of Ideas Mingling of different domains of knowledge, thereby creating new products, relationships, techniques, and technologies. Think of a recipe that combines the chemistry of ingredients with knowledge of temperature and time, along with taste, feel, and smell.
• Mental Symbols Encoding sensory experiences, both real and imagined, into complex systems of communication. Think metaphor or analogy.
• Abstract Thought The ability to imagine what isn’t yet.