EconTalk Robert Burton on Being Certain
May 13, 2019
Robert Burton, a neurologist and author of "On Being Certain," dives into the neuroscience behind our quest for certainty. He reveals how the brain’s competition among unconscious processes influences our 'feeling of knowing.' Burton discusses the fallibility of memory, illustrated through the Challenger disaster, and critiques the simplistic views of mental illness and intelligence. He also explores transcendence's personal meaning and champions embracing uncertainty, demonstrating how subjective experiences shape our understanding of the world.
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Challenger Memory Study
- Students recalled the Challenger explosion inaccurately after two and a half years.
- One student insisted his morphed memory was correct, despite his earlier, likely more accurate, written account.
Subjective Memory
- Memory is subjective and shaped by individual experiences and biology.
- This explains why people, even spouses, recall the same event differently.
Brain vs. Computer
- Brains, unlike computers, do not follow fixed algorithms.
- Deep learning mechanisms, where input doesn't guarantee the same output, better explain brain function.
