Friday, February 5, 2010

The brain is NOT a computer

To be honest, when I was younger, I use to compare my brain to a computer. Afterall, it was a complex piece of "machinery" capable of infinite memory storage. Anything I thought of could appear within a matter of seconds--almost like a search engine. The only problem is that this comparison doesn't actually work. Apparently my brain is NOT a computer--nor is a computer an exact replica of the mind--an electric brain so to speak. Apparently the brain relies upon association--the minute one item appears in the mind--at the vey next second another item can appear suddenly through the suggestion of that association of thoughts.

What especially makes the brain different from the computer is that it's not just a storage box--it's an archive--an association box. Computers do not work through association. Instead they work through identification. In addition, Bush's vision of the memex--a brain-like storage device appeared at first to me as little more than a primative version of a computer. However, it's not at all like that. In fact, it's much more complex than a computer because it would be an association box--not merely a storage box. It would be able to remember notes, and the order in which they were placed. Most importantly it would work through the linking of associations. To this day, a computer can't even do that. The memory of a computer--especially when it comes to the internet is merely short-termed, while a memex would have been able to recall data that it had been given several years ago.

Here is a link that explains why the brain is NOT a computer.Link

No comments:

Post a Comment