That’s actually not quite true. We still actually don’t understand the way thoughts and the central nervous system works completely- but many “memories” and “thoughts” and other “processing” exist within the spine or within other structures of the body. That’s the more obvious way this is slightly false- but oh boy... strap yourself in for this.
If you look at the understanding of human thought through history- it mirrors the technology of a time- Robert Epstein has spoken about this at length. “Humors” and “fluids” as an understanding of human life came about when humans developed hydraulic technology. Descartes and others postulated on humans as complex machines... in an age where clock work machines and automatons were the height of human technology. Our idea of the brain as a “computer” came about... surprise- shortly after computers started to become a thing. Lawnmower man and the Matrix and so much cyber punk focuses on a concept of human brains and computers networking and being similar.
But human brains aren’t computers. We don’t store files. We don’t move bits of data from one place to another. Near as we can tell there is no place where you’d have “memories” or “thoughts” stored as files. Your actual physical brain IS the memory. When you see a face you don’t store a picture of that face. Your brain structure changes- it becomes better at recognizing that face. You don’t catch a ball better because your brain stored a memory file- a snap shot of each time you caught a ball- each attempt forced your brain to “rewire” itself to become better at catching a ball. You can’t just use some magic machine to “copy” the information that a skilled pilot has and “paste” it into another brain- it’s not information- the pilots brain has restructured to those tasks. You have to change the shape of the brain you want to be like that-
but because every process is an interaction between neurons all over the brain and it’s also about the PATH between them- just “editing” one single section of the brain has unforeseen consequences on other processes. Like lobotomies- they may be able to alter behaviors or cure certain issues- but they seldom are without complications and changes in other areas of a persons thinking or abilities. Because while certain processes and structures are believed to be more closely related to certain areas of the brain- most rely on pathways and processes throughout the brain and other parts of the CNS.
Recent research even suggests a type of “genetic” or “cellular” memory beyond simple cell functions and reproduction. Much of the “science” is ill defined and some walks the line of pseudo science- but there are many questions based in observation- like why so many transplant recipients often report taking on certain behaviors or preferences of a donor- or on the topic of relatives or identical twins and similar developments even when isolated and unknown to each other- or different developments even when brought up closely.
Serious scientific research and theory has been put into the study of the premise that bacteria in your digestive system effects your thinking- or even does some of your thinking- and of course on a practical level- we know that your stomach actually does some of the “thinking” for your brain too!
Then we widen the scope a bit when we talk about gut bacteria- the womb is sterile. Babies are born without needed bacteria to digest. Usually they are “seeded” with their mother’s intestinal bacteria. In most people- you can trace back the mitochondrial DNA of female ancestors through history from the bacteria of the digestive tract- itself a family which has had billions of generations living within the women of a family line.
Well- I’ll stop there since one could easily (and people often do-) spend years discussing such topics as this and write thousands of pages. But- for the most part this meme has truth to it but it isn’t exactly accurate nor is it completely factual.
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....Can someone unstrap me please?
Thank you for attending.