The world has become so complex that it's really kind of a we've reached the limits of what the biological brain on its own can do. The only way for us to cope with or manage the complexity of our world is to draw on these external resources to enhance the brain. Do you see any directionality to human history along these lines? Ye, dont not. I mean, kind of science fiction here, but it's interesting idea. You know, some people, like robert wrigt in his book zero, make this argument that es a kind of directionality to history,. moving in that in a kind of social complex, what hillhard called a new sphere. But w
In this conversation about her new book, the acclaimed science writer Annie Murphy Paul explodes the myth that the brain is an all-powerful, all-purpose thinking machine that works best in silence and isolation. We are often told that the human brain is an awe-inspiring wonder, but its capacities are remarkably limited and specific. Humanity has achieved its most impressive feats only by thinking outside the brain: by “extending” the brain’s power with resources borrowed from the body, other people, and the material world. The Extended Mind tells the stories of scientists and artists, authors and inventors, leaders and entrepreneurs — Jackson Pollock, Charles Darwin, Jonas Salk, Friedrich Nietzsche, Watson and Crick, among others — who have mastered the art of thinking outside the brain. It also explains how every one of us can do the same, tapping the intelligence that exists beyond our heads — in our bodies, our surroundings, and our relationships.