Document Type
Learning Optimization
Publication Date
Spring 3-24-2026
Abstract
The four standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contain numerous accounts in which individuals exhibit intellectual capacities — of perception, reasoning, problem-solving, and articulation — that demonstrably exceed their natural endowments and circumstances. This essay identifies twenty such accounts, organizes them into five conceptual typologies, and draws from each typology a set of concrete, actionable proposals for faculty at Brigham Young University who seek to integrate divine assistance into their scholarly and pedagogical work. The central argument is that the patterns encoded in Latter-day Saint scripture constitute not merely historical records of miraculous intervention but a coherent epistemological framework — what might be called a theology of augmented intelligence — that has direct relevance to the vocation of the Latter-day Saint scholar.
Recommended Citation
Ariizumi, Yoshihiko, "Endowed with Intelligence from on High: Scriptural Patterns of Divinely Augmented Knowing" (2026). Learning, Teaching, & Researching Optimization. 229.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ltroptimization/229