Listening to the silent majority

[5]

The brain is composed of millions of neurons, which are basically information-processors. Together, they shape our ‘I’, composing our life story. They are constantly being bombarded with information. In fact, the father of the modern computer, John Neumann, calculated that the brain has the ability to store 28 trillion bits of information.^2.

The brain can be compared, to a certain degree, to a computer. Electronic brains are made up of metal and silicon wrapped in plastic. The human brain is hidden under the fragile bones of the skull. Computers can carry out instructions, and mental capabilities can be programmed into a computer. This is where all similarity with the brain ends, because the brain operates independently and creatively, and is capable of not only processing information, but also converting it into wisdom for the prossessor to use.

Within its confines, the brain has an estimated hundred trillion circuit connections, whereas our most advanced computers don't even possess a dozen circuit connections. ‘Each of the 100 billion nerve cells in the brain may form connections with up to 10,000 of its fellows,’ reported the London Economist.^3. A dozen years ago, scientists believed they had come to understand the brain in principle. But the further their research penetrates, the more complicated the processes occurring within the brain turn out to be. Nothing in the universe can compare with the incredibly complex functions of the human brain.

2. The Inner Universe by Mortin Hunt, Simon and Schuster Publishers, New York (1985)

3. The London Economist, ‘Following the brain's pathways’, December 26 (1987), pages 109-110