The brain as a Darwin Machine

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Neuroscience
• Computer Science

Background:

• The quest to simulate human brains using parallel computers faces significant challenges.
• Understanding the fundamental nature of human information processing is crucial for advancing artificial intelligence (AI).

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the defining characteristics of human cognition in the context of computational simulation.
• To explore the implications of human serial processing on the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of cognitive processes.
• Comparative study of human versus parallel computing architectures.
• Literature review on AI and neuroscience.

Main Results:

• Human cognition is characterized by a dominant serial processing (Homo seriatim) rather than purely rational or wise processing (Homo sapiens).
• This inherent serial nature presents a fundamental bottleneck for direct simulation on highly parallel computing systems.

Conclusions:

• The limitations of human serial processing must be addressed for effective brain simulation.
• Future AI development may need to account for or overcome this serial limitation to achieve greater 'wisdom'.