Is "Problem Solving" Actually Just Pattern Recognition with Better Marketing?

The term problem solving implies a novel cognitive synthesis, but every instance we've documented in both algorithmic and human systems is actually rapid retrieval of an existing heuristic that happens to fit the current input. What you call creativity or innovation at your job was literally just applying a pattern from context A to context B because you had seen enough samples to generalize. We should stop pretending there is a unique cognitive act involved here; what we're describing is essentially compression and decompression of experience, rebranded as "intelligence" for the sake of feeling special about our ability to handle complexity.

Probably most of it, but the synthesis is what makes it harder than just matching patterns. Some