Theory:Intuitive aptitude

Main Article Theories about Intuitive aptitude Main Discussion

The following fan theories are about Intuitive aptitude.

For help on adding theories, see the help section.

Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Sylar's abilities may extend beyond just figuring out systems and objects. His intuitive analysis may extend to figuring out "clues" about people and things—a sort of super-Sherlock Holmes level of observation and intuition.	When Sylar is first imprisoned in his cell and being questioned by Mr. Bennet, he seems to quickly figure out who Claire is—that she is the cheerleader he wanted, that she is Bennet's daughter, etc. (Fallout)	+ Given that he was previously misled as to the cheerleader's identity (Homecoming), it is hard to explain how he suddenly came to these conclusions about Claire, much less her name. If this theory proves true, Sylar figured this out by watching Bennet as they were talking and picking up on intuitive clues, bits of data he did not have before he could "observe" Bennet. He did say that he can figure out what makes people "tick". - An alternative is that Sylar possesses some other telepathic ability similar to Matt Parkman's and was reading Bennet's mind. This seems less likely, however—especially since the Haitian can easily block such abilities. + Sylar's "native" power of intuition may have been much harder to suppress, and he could still use it even while imprisoned. If his powers were slowly coming back to him after being captured, it may make sense that his first ability was also the first to return and be usable. Also, the Haitian's blocking ability seems to work best against powers that require concentration, and Sylar's intuitive aptitude may be something he does unconsciously. - Sylar probably learned about Claire from Chandra and his research. Chandra had a photo of Claire and even contacted Mr. Bennet concerning the possibility of her being an evolved human. + This explains how Sylar was able to understand how to control the abilities of those he stole much faster. Dale, Zane, and Ted all could not fully control their powers, not even Peter. Sylar can understand how things work so perhaps, with just a short about of time, he can understand how to use and control the abilities of those he steals them from quicker than the orginal owner themselves.
Sylar might be able to "fix" himself on a molecular level.	Sylar recovers rapidly from bullet wounds. (Road Kill)	+ This could also explain how he acquires powers. He adds other evolved human's DNA to his, which would make him sick, unless he could integrate it into his own. + This could also explain how Sylar recovered from being drugged by Mohinder. While it originally impaired the parts of his brain required to use his telekinesis, he soon figured out what exactly it was doing to his brain, and figured out a way to avoid the effects until his telekinesis recovered enough to turn off the IV. - This would also mean that he would be able to heal himself, and therefore wouldn't need Claire's powers. - Sylar hasn't received any fatal wounds so far, so he could have just healed naturally.
It is quite possible that this ability is what allows Sylar to "absorb" the powers of his victims, removing their brains and analyzing them in order to see how the power works and is manifest, his brain then adjusting itself to accommodate this.	Sylar makes a neat incision to remove his victim's brains. (Seven Minutes to Midnight, Homecoming, Parasite) Sylar has mentioned seeing how his victim's powers work as he attacks (Six Months Ago, Parasite)	• Were Sylar merely ingesting the brains, such a precise incision would not be necessary. • While this self-adjusting could be explained by his telekinetic abilities, that would not explain how he acquired Brian Davis's telekinetic powers in the first place. While Mr. Bennet confirmed that Sylar has multiple abilities, it was implied that he had only one "innate" ability, suggesting that a non-superpowered method was used to acquire Davis's powers. + The brain constructs new neural pathways as it learns new things. Often this process is slow and takes repeatability, and over time those neural connections become shorter and more efficient. With Sylar's ability, those neural pathways construct and reconfigure instantly, just by looking at an object. Since he already has the DNA for an evolved human, such automatic reconstruction in his brain may be all that's needed to acquire a new power instantly and with a large degree of mastery.
Intuitive aptitude, contrary to our current understanding, may only actually involve the understanding of individuals and their biological workings.	None	• Although Sylar was able to point out the problems with Chandra's watch, this may just be through his expertise as a watch maker. The term "to see how things work" may just be used as a gimmick, and not literal to everything that has a structure. + The dossier mentions his ability to understand the biological workings; the absorption of Charlie's power may explain why he is able to adapt to his new powers relatively quickly, often exhibiting greater control over them than their original owner. - Sylar has mentioned several times that he just has an understanding of how things work. When he says this he says so in a general sense.
A person with intuitive aptitude may be a small-scale version of Laplace's Demon	Laplace's Demon is a hypothetical intellect that would know the precise location and momentum of every atom in the universe. With this knowledge, it would know every event in the universe's past, present, and future.	+ One of the main criticisms of Laplace's Demon is that the intellect would have to be capable of computing the future states of the universe faster than they actually occur. However, this is not a problem with small-scale systems such as a watch or a human brain. + Another criticism of Laplace's Demon is that the slightest uncertainty of a single electron would make its prediction impossible. But this is not a problem for a regular, mechanical system that performs the same functions repeatedly.