The black box complexity

I am reading awesome Eagleman. He is at the cutting edge of brain science. This might be a paradigm shift.

Not all that long ago it was appreciated that stimuli enter the black box (the brain) and relevant responses result. It was recognised that the processes inside the black box were complex. But the mindbending degree of complexity is becoming increasingly apparent. For example when engineers are faced with the challenge of making robots walk on two small feet.

Reverse engineering of living structures is inevitably bound to astound. None of the ancestors wiped the slate clean and began again. Much of what constitutes you and me comes from the early days of life on the planet.

We all depend on DNA and use the same groups of amino acids and neural transmitters. We are made of cells with the same kinds of intracellular gadgets. The cells get together to form organs and tissues whose actions are coordinated by nervous systems. The nervous system is made of a set of loosely functional modules that are connected with each other in unimaginably many ways.


The mature human brain is a three-pound lump of jelly made up of billions of nerve cells whose never-ending activities are punctuated by huge numbers of ever-changing synapses. And there is neural plasticity that allows for changes.

What fires together wires together. If you do not use it you lose it. The unconscious is constantly churning and monitoring inputs from the sense organs by comparing them with thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM) from memory. Thus ‘reality’ is upgraded on an ongoing basis.

• The only constant thing is change.
• The reality that can be described is not the real reality.
• Reality is a mind made projection unique to individuals and influenced by nature, nurture and serendipity.
• There are neural correlates of consciousness (NCC).
• Change your mind and change your brain.
• Change your brain and change your mind.
• Development means change for the better.
• Better?