Technology is now used to describe the brain of its creator.

Aspects of the human brain, such as the hippocampus, are depicted through analogies of random access memory and circuits on a motherboard are used to describe the synaptic connections within the brain as pathways that carry electrical signals.

With such a heavy reliance on the creation to describe the creator’s brain, what impact might that have on the way people view their own minds?

In a general sense, the mechanical analogies work, but only at a high level of abstraction. Human memory and artificial memory serve similar purposes but operate much differently.

An artificial brain absorbs information immediately. Text, images, and media files are broken down into 1s and 0s and stored in memory. Long-term storage stores that data on a hard disk in a manner that can reproduce an exact replica of the original source material. Human memory on the other hand operates much differently.

“The human brain continues to process information long after it is received, and the quality of memories depends on how the information is processed. Biological memory is alive. Computer memory is not.” — Kobi Rosenblum

Not understanding the difference between man and machine leads to the attempt of overlaying and applying mechanical operations with unachievable expectations.

In our neverending search for productivity, each of us must realize that our aim isn’t to become the computer. Instead, it’s to amplify the very qualities that make us human.

To do that requires an increased understanding of ourselves as we are, not as we imagine ourselves to be in terms of computational power.

Until next time,

Josh Duffney

favorite-thing-of-the-week 🥰: Finally understanding what is meant by “permanent notes are the result of your own thinking.”