Here are several one-sentence thesis options in increasing rhetorical strength.
All work in abstract, introduction, and conclusion, but journals often prefer a balance between clarity and boldness, so I list them from most conservative → most memorable.
1. Conservative (very safe academically)
Intelligence is best understood as the capacity of a system to detect and correct errors in its models of the world under conditions of uncertainty.
2. Clear theoretical claim (good for most journals)
Intelligence is not the possession of correct knowledge but the existence of mechanisms that enable systematic error detection and model revision.
3. Strong conceptual framing
Intelligence emerges wherever systems possess structured procedures that allow errors in their models of the world to be detected and corrected over time.
4. Your theory in its pure form
Intelligence is institutionalized error correction.
5. The most memorable version (often quoted)
Intelligence is not what a system knows, but how it corrects what it gets wrong.
My recommendation for a journal submission
Use two layers:
Abstract / Introduction
Intelligence is not the possession of correct knowledge but the existence of mechanisms that enable systematic error detection and model revision.
Conclusion (final line)
Intelligence is not what a system knows, but how it corrects what it gets wrong.
This combination works well because:
- first version = academic clarity
- second version = memorable takeaway
(OA)
