Courtesy of google.com
I was gathering reading material for my blog when the call came in. “I can’t find my wallet.” These were the first words I heard when I picked up the receiver. At the other end, my friend sounded harried, thinking we were to meet for brunch in 20 minutes.
“Brunch is tomorrow,” I told her, glad I could relieve her anxiety. “If you met me in 20 minutes, I’d be standing in my… Unable to plug in the right word, I said, “overcoat.” “Bathrobe” didn’t come to me until our conversation was over.
The mental blank I’d experienced left me unsettled. I’m not good with names, but language has always served me well. So, as I approach 90, the incident brought the dreaded word Dementia to mind.
Having read articles about the human brain, I know memory is a persistence of information across time that requires neither consciousness nor intelligence. Bacteria have memories as do our neurons. Recollection is the scaffolding upon which intelligence fixes itself, enabling us to learn: through discovery, recombining what we know in new ways, and by making incremental improvements.
Surprisingly, brain size has little to do with intelligence. Memory is efficient, capable of forming neural connections that fold in upon themselves, reducing the need for space. Over time, our brains have become smaller, while our neural connections have grown, making abstract thinking possible. The hand painted on the cave wall, for example, could become more than the artist’s signature. It could also stand for the tribe. Eventually, other symbols emerged. Written language and mathematics are examples. With symbols, Individual and collective memory could be preserved outside the brain.
That external cache exploded with the advent of the printing press. Libraries emerged to share memories. Electronic devices propelled us further. Today, libraries can be held in the palm of one’s hand. AI will no doubt bring further changes.
Hopefully, we can alleviate negative consequences that may arise. So far, technology has allowed us to both exploit Earth’s natural resources and mitigate the effects of climate change.
On the negative side, we know more about our core nature. It includes a set of flaws scientists call the Dark Factor of Personality: egoism, Machiavellianism, moral disengagement, narcissism, psychological entitlement, psychopathy, sadism, self-interest, and spitefulness. Recently, we’ve discovered these traits apply not only to individuals but to cultures.
Last week’s blog paid tribute to the kindness in American society. Yet it also contained a warning. Defending civil order isn’t a passive sport. It requires the collective conscience of the people.
I see no way to alter the rapid changes technology has set upon us. Nonetheless, we can resist the evil that attends it. I may forget the word bathrobe, but the community remembers. In the same vein, if we want a society governed by our better angels, we are obliged to rely upon each other.
The universe is a cold, dark place devoid of memory, so we must cherish ours. We are one species, one race, and the one hope for mankind.
BOYCOTT: Tesla, Apple, Amazon
