July 2, 2010 at 16:46The brain and the computer. Is the comparison appropriate?
I had to see, hear and read a lot about how people compare a person and a computer. It is interesting to watch this process from the outside, especially when you understand what is really happening. But in fact, there is no more, no less comparison of the creator with creation. In order for this comparison to take place, people even make robots like people. But still, inside such subhuman "gears and bulbs," as the hero of the film "I, Robot" said. But the point is not that compared with people differ in their chemical composition. After all, the subject of comparison is the principle and effectiveness of their work.
All aspects of the work process and the results of this very work of both compared parties can hardly be covered in one small article. Therefore, I will touch upon only one aspect, which in computer language is called "multitasking." Some people think that this is beyond the reach of the brain; others share the exact opposite point of view. I won’t go into such wilds as numbers, calculations, and statistics, since by comparing systems of different origin, it is not possible to achieve accurate results. But there are some thoughts about this.
So…
I am sure that when creating a computer, a person was guided by what is close and familiar to him. When creating the operating system in the mid-60s of the last century (it was then that the beginnings of multitasking began to appear in some operating systems), programmers, quite possibly, also thought about giving the computer something human. And endowed him with a subconscious, only in computer understanding. Although many people are aware of the fact that the human brain can consciously reflect on one thing at a certain point in time, this does not mean at all that our brain is devoid of “multitasking”. After all, it is unlikely that anyone will deny that, in addition to the main thought, which is spinning consciously in our head, processes take place somewhere deep in the subconscious that are only known when the result is visible.
If you will, let’s compare consciousness and subconsciousness with processor cores. True, in such a comparison, these cores will be of different capacities. Since there is information that the power of the subconscious is much greater than the power of consciousness. The speed of information processing in conscious thinking is 2 Kbit of information per second, for comparison, the same speed in the subconscious reaches 4 Gbit of information per second. But how is this power of the subconscious manifested.
For example, it often happens that applying efforts to solve some difficult task consciously, one does not manage to achieve the desired result, as if a snag somewhere. In this case, I leave this task for later and take on the next, simpler one. But suddenly, not even having time to tackle a simple task, I say to myself: “An idea!” After that, that difficult unsolved problem is solved! But how? I already despaired and didn’t even think about it consciously. It is thanks to the fact that we put a lot of effort in the search for a solution that the process starts and, if necessary, can go into the “background mode” of the subconscious, where neurons will continue to select the right combinations, in search of a solution with even greater speed.
On a computer, this happens, it seems, a little easier or somewhat more clearly. By starting one process, we minimize the program and set to work on another. In this case, we are sure that the operation will be completed. Of course, sometimes it seems that the capabilities of a computer are limited by human capabilities. For example, we cannot work simultaneously in several programs, if only because for this we would need additional manipulators and, in the end, additional hands. And is it necessary, if sometimes we cannot even control 10% of the capabilities of our brain?
Regarding how to train your brain, not a few books have been written, as many films have been made, but it seems that to “disperse” your brain, you need to remember just a few simple rules:
All aspects of the work process and the results of this very work of both compared parties can hardly be covered in one small article. Therefore, I will touch upon only one aspect, which in computer language is called "multitasking." Some people think that this is beyond the reach of the brain; others share the exact opposite point of view. I won’t go into such wilds as numbers, calculations, and statistics, since by comparing systems of different origin, it is not possible to achieve accurate results. But there are some thoughts about this.
So…
I am sure that when creating a computer, a person was guided by what is close and familiar to him. When creating the operating system in the mid-60s of the last century (it was then that the beginnings of multitasking began to appear in some operating systems), programmers, quite possibly, also thought about giving the computer something human. And endowed him with a subconscious, only in computer understanding. Although many people are aware of the fact that the human brain can consciously reflect on one thing at a certain point in time, this does not mean at all that our brain is devoid of “multitasking”. After all, it is unlikely that anyone will deny that, in addition to the main thought, which is spinning consciously in our head, processes take place somewhere deep in the subconscious that are only known when the result is visible.
If you will, let’s compare consciousness and subconsciousness with processor cores. True, in such a comparison, these cores will be of different capacities. Since there is information that the power of the subconscious is much greater than the power of consciousness. The speed of information processing in conscious thinking is 2 Kbit of information per second, for comparison, the same speed in the subconscious reaches 4 Gbit of information per second. But how is this power of the subconscious manifested.
For example, it often happens that applying efforts to solve some difficult task consciously, one does not manage to achieve the desired result, as if a snag somewhere. In this case, I leave this task for later and take on the next, simpler one. But suddenly, not even having time to tackle a simple task, I say to myself: “An idea!” After that, that difficult unsolved problem is solved! But how? I already despaired and didn’t even think about it consciously. It is thanks to the fact that we put a lot of effort in the search for a solution that the process starts and, if necessary, can go into the “background mode” of the subconscious, where neurons will continue to select the right combinations, in search of a solution with even greater speed.
On a computer, this happens, it seems, a little easier or somewhat more clearly. By starting one process, we minimize the program and set to work on another. In this case, we are sure that the operation will be completed. Of course, sometimes it seems that the capabilities of a computer are limited by human capabilities. For example, we cannot work simultaneously in several programs, if only because for this we would need additional manipulators and, in the end, additional hands. And is it necessary, if sometimes we cannot even control 10% of the capabilities of our brain?
Regarding how to train your brain, not a few books have been written, as many films have been made, but it seems that to “disperse” your brain, you need to remember just a few simple rules:
- Meditate
- Analyze
- Do not give up