Showing posts with label human brain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human brain. Show all posts

Friday, March 15, 2013

Book Review: How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil


The book How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil is a great addition to your academic library. It discusses the nature of human thought and how this thought has developed overtime. This information can help academics understand how to teach courses, relay information, and better put forward the building blocks necessary for higher thought. Even though the book is not focused specifically on students it is easy to draw this parallel for teaching improvements. 

The work begins by discussing the old brain and the new brain. Like Descartes concepts of “I think therefore I am” it is this higher form of cognitive thought that separates humans from the animal kingdom. The old brain is reflexivity designed to warn us of immediate environmental threats. However, the new brain can project outward to predict outcomes such as how seeing traces of fur on a branch, paw prints, and other signs of predatory behavior can lead to the logical conclusion that walking along the same path requires caution. 

Since all thinking is hierarchical by nature it would be these bits (i.e. paw print, fur, tree rubbings, etc…) of information that would come together to create this higher form of prediction.  In modern life such concepts have closer association to how elemental bits of information derive more complex forms of thought. For educators this could mean that building blocks of information presented in class create higher and more abstract concepts for consideration. The very purpose of higher education is to develop the ability for abstract thinking to not only be aware of the environment but also contribute to its development. 

The book spends some time thinking about language and how its use creates these abstract thinking abilities. It is precisely these abilities that allow people to find solutions to business problems, project possible outcomes, see various paths, and eventually develop strategic approaches. In the college of business it is important to understand the development of thought so that we can understand how to teach higher levels of thinking. 

Of interest in this book is the hidden Markov model. According to this model it is possible to predict actions based upon the previous stage by understanding its vectors or movement. There is a mathematical equation that allows for this understanding but can easily be seen by understanding the relativity of prior information in a sequence. For example, a student who is developing in his/her thought constructions will give off hints in answers or actions based upon their understanding. We can reward that behavior when we see the hidden sequence moving in the right direction toward an appropriate conclusion. 

It is easiest to picture the hidden Markov model as an alligator trying to catch its prey moving ever closer and creating a path even though we are unable to see the entire alligator. From a far distance we see a ripple in the water, a little while later we see a green shadow and another ripple coming closer, a few feet from us we see a shadow of a large reptilian form in the water. How would you think or act? If you have familiarity with alligators you might notice the vector of movement and the “hints” and therefore move away from the shoreline to protect yourself. If you see it from the first ripple you could set an alligator trap. According to the hidden Markov model it is possible to calculate a vector based upon the noticed clues and predict the action. 

Our ability to predict such situations is rooted in our neocortex which creates pathways that transfer information but also allows for pattern recognition. Humans have many more pathways than animals and therefore are more abstract in their thinking.  Pathways develop are trimmed based upon a lack of use.  If we don’t engage in certain actions often we may lose certain pathways and skills. Society, in general, may be gaining more pathways in each generation as the world becomes more complex. 

The book covers a number of chapters which include thought experiments, model of the neocortex, the old brain, transcendent abilities, digital models, the law of accelerating returns and objections to these concepts. There are references for each chapter but these are not in the APA format many people desire. The book is very thought provoking and offers unique insights into the world of our brains. 

Kurzweil, R. (2012). How to create a mind: the secret of human thought revealed. UK: Penguin Books. ISBN: 978-0-670-02529-9
Price: $18
Pages: 282
Blog Ranking: 4.7/8
Book Review: How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Book Review: Descarte's Error by Antonio Demasio

Descarte's Error by Neurologist Antonio R. Damasio delves deeply into the workings of the brain and the use of emotion to make decisions. He moves through concepts such as biological ethics, social norms, rational thinking, pre-frontal lobe damage, and finally into Descartes error. He digs into cognitive science to understand how the separation of body and mind was an error by one of the most famous philosophers of yesteryear.

"I think, therefore I am" is an important saying of Descartes as he philosophized the nature of human life. Yet many seem to have forgotten his clarification a few lines below:

"From that I knew that I was a substance, the whole essence or nature of which is to think, and that for its existence there is no need of any place, nor does it depend on any material thing; so that this "me", that is to say, the soul by which I am what I am, is entirely distinct from body, and is even more easy to know than is the latter; and even if body were not, the soul would not cease to be what it is."-Descartes

To Damasio the body and mind are the same. One cannot exist without the other. More importantly, the body feeds the mind through its senses and feelings exist throughout the entire body. To him it is not possible to understand the brain without knowledge related to neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurochemistry. He sums up his argument as:

"The comprehensive understanding of the human mind requires an organismic perspective; that not only must the mind move from nonphysical cogitum to the realm of biological tissue, but it must also be related to a whole organism possessed of integrated body proper and brain and fully interactive with a physical and social environment."

Under such circumstances the mind is more than an animal spirit. It exists within the cognitive, physical, and social aspects of life. Each component fits within the nature of its existence and defines who and how it will think. Senses draw information, the mind has a sense of existence, and society defines its perception. If such a concept were true then to expand the mind would mean exploring the physical, mental, and social aspects of one's life.

The book is not for the amateur. At times it can be heavy and other times more theoretical. However, the premises of the book seems to fit more closely with current cognitive research. More importantly the book provides a way of looking at the mind as having three planes of existence that help it make meaning in the lives that we live. To understand the root of emotions and thought is to create greater insight into the nature of our lives. It is through this nature we can help develop a stronger perspective of our learning, working, and feeling existence. An extensive list of references are included in the work.

Price: $11
Pages: 252
Blog Ranking: 3.8/5
Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes' Error: emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Grosset/Putnam Book. ISB: 0-399-13894-3