Quote:
The human being is the only animal that thinks about the future.
Humans think about the future in a way that tno other animal can, does, or ever has, and this simple, ubiquitous, ordinary act is a defining feature of our humanity. To see is to experience the world as it was, but to imagine is to experience the world as it isn't and has never been, but as it might be. The greatest achievement of the human brain is its ability to imagine objects and episodes that do not exist in the realm of the real. Predictions about what will hapen next are predictions that happen precisely in the spot. We call them predictions only because there is no better world for them in the English language.
Rather than saying that such brains are predicting, let's just say they are nexting. As you hear these very words echoing in your head, and think about whatever thoughts they inspire, your brain is using the word it is reading right now and words it read just before to make a reasoable guess about the identity of the word it will read next. That's how you read so fluently. It is only when your brain predicts badly will you suddenly feel camera.
Gotcha there, didn't I? You were surprised. The surprise you filt when you read the word camera reveals that, as you were reading the phrase it is only when your brain predicts badly that you suddenly feel...., your brain was simultaneously making a reasonable prediction about what would happen next.
<span id="test20943735">. . .</span><br/><div id="post20943735" style="display:none; margin-right:75px;"> This is a disclaimer because this whole lecture was from Muse magazine, and it really interested me. Sorta. Well, if you feel your brain is about to explode, then I really suggest that you stop reading and rest and take your mind off of this right now. wahmbulance </div>
