3 ms·
I think it's surprising that we still can't figure out the purpose of an observable process that blows a third (or more) of our lives, yet somehow we've come to
by kirse 18y ago
I think it's surprising that we still can't figure out the purpose of an observable process that blows a third (or more) of our lives, yet somehow we've come to a definitive theory on how the entire universe came into existence.
I guess the more we know, the more we realize we don't know.
- mechanical_fish 18y agoI know folks who work on neural imaging. Let me assure you that to call sleep "an observable process" is a big exaggeration. Stars are much easier to observe than the details of your brain at work. Indeed, the reactions which drive stars are easier to see, understand, and simulate than a single neuron is. It's not the size or the distance -- it's the complexity. I'm not saying that astrophysics is easy, but it's a lot less complex than the brain. Your brain is the most complicated thing in the universe... as far as we know.
- eru 18y agoIt is just a matter of what you mean by understanding a thing. There are different standards applied to brains and stars. A lot of things that count as understanding in stars are just normal to know about brains - for example mass, density, mechanical properties, energy throughput, age. That "Human brains are the most complex thing in the universe"-meme strikes me as human chauvinism.