"Many neuroscientists today would add to this list of failed comparisons the idea that the brain is a computer -- just another analogy without a lot of substance."
— Marcus, Gary (b. 1970)
Author
Date
June 27, 2015
Metaphor
"Many neuroscientists today would add to this list of failed comparisons the idea that the brain is a computer -- just another analogy without a lot of substance."
Metaphor in Context
SCIENCE has a poor track record when it comes to comparing our brains to the technology of the day. Descartes thought that the brain was a kind of hydraulic pump, propelling the spirits of the nervous system through the body. Freud compared the brain to a steam engine. The neuroscientist Karl Pribram likened it to a holographic storage device.
Many neuroscientists today would add to this list of failed comparisons the idea that the brain is a computer -- just another analogy without a lot of substance. Some of them actively deny that there is much useful in the idea; most simply ignore it.
Many neuroscientists today would add to this list of failed comparisons the idea that the brain is a computer -- just another analogy without a lot of substance. Some of them actively deny that there is much useful in the idea; most simply ignore it.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Gary Marcus, "Face It, Your Brain Is a Computer," The New York Times (June 27, 2015). <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
07/06/2015
