The
entangled web of neurons within our skulls is not only responsible for our
ability to recognize a companion by his or her voice, face, handwriting or
gait, but much more mysteriously, to feel and express love for that person.
The concept of zero, the discovery of biological evolution, the theory of
special relativity, and the fact that there are humans strolling around with
hearts that once belonged to someone else, all attest to the brain's
astonishing ability to understand, invent, and create.
The human brain is the
most complex device in the known universe, yet, it is also a highly imperfect
one. In addition to the impressive array of features embedded in the 1.3 kg
conglomerate of cells that we carry around in our skulls, there is also an
abundance of flaws and limitations – brain bugs. We are subject to, we are bad
at numerical manipulations, our decisions are often anything but rational as a
result of cognitive biases, our memory can be unreliable, we are easily
manipulated by advertising, we have a propensity to engage in supernatural
beliefs, what we fear is only tenuously related to what we should fear, and we
are gifted practitioners of self-deception. Simply put, our brain is
inherently well-suited for some tasks, but ill-suited for others; one of the
latter is distinguishing which are which.
Ultimately there are two main causes of our brain bugs. First the
brain is running what amounts to a 100,000 year old operating systems. Second,
the architecture of the brain contributes to a large number of brain bugs,
including why it is harder to remember the name Baker then the
profession baker, why we are so easily manipulated by advertising and
why our supposedly rational decisions are often influenced by arbitrary and
irrelevant factors.
Brain bugs will
explore to what extent the neural hardware and ‘operating system’ established
by evolution remain well-suited for the digital, predator-free,
sugar-abundant, special-effects filled, antibiotic laden, media saturated,
high population density, intercontinental travel age we have managed to build
for ourselves? Brain Bugs will explore and explain the neuroscience
behind the brain’s bugs, and will reveal how its flaws shape our lives as
individuals and as a society.
