Human Thought: The most complex algorithm ever created
This idea started as a shower thought today like many other allegedly thought-provoking topics. It also has some influence from a fascinating conversation I had with a couple of friends while enjoying great NYC Style pizza and beer in Manhattan’s Lower East Side back in February (2018).
The conversation went into a rabbit hole as we started discussing humanity, its purpose and alluded multiple times to the possibility of what if it’s all one big simulation as stated on the book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Okay, maybe I went too abstract on what became a really deep mental cross-fit session there for a moment but I want to highlight the concept of a simulation and how we conduct our lives then draw a parallel of how many of today’s political and societal issues are caused by failing to connect at the human level with others. Meaning, while we are (roughly) biologically identical we tend to polarize in how we think and behave.
What I’ll try to illustrate is that partially agreeing with others beliefs is possible even if we disagree with them as an individual and what they stand for because under the hood we’re all the same.
Computers
Today’s most ubiquitous device range from our pockets which allow us to communicate with our loved ones (Cellphones) to mission-critical systems (launching nuclear warheads). While we have seen an evolution of applications and computer programs one thing remains constant, the result you can expect will be 100% dependent on the input.
A simple example is a standard piece of hardware such as a computer mouse. The final location of the mouse pointer will be a function of the distance traveled over your desk times the sensitivity setting of your mouse. Someone who has never used the device before may move it slower or faster as they lack sensitivity on how it will respond. However, the underlying functionality of the device does not affect their behavior or usage of it in any way.
Similarly, people and who they become over time is a function of what they are exposed to and the frequency of such exposures. That goes from the music they hear to the way their parents treated them to the food they eat.
The Human Equation
The argument being made is that not only human hardware is the same so is it’s software the way your brain works and makes you think. While generally, we all have standard senses that allow us to process a number of inputs (Audio, Vision, Voice, Smell, Touch) even for two people that are born in the same geography or even neighborhood can be exposed to totally different experiences. Part of the early referenced conversation went to discuss that if we, in fact, had the same underlying wiring so to speak we should then reach the same conclusions. And arguably this is true but I argued that such an experiment will never be possible. Without even considering the long-term effects of the environment and how it affects our internal biology and potentially our behavior and thoughts, it’s arguably impossible to recreate the same experience for two individuals.
We see this phenomenon of varying data even with today’s advances in algorithms and the new field of artificial intelligence. In the last couple of years, some of the most prominent companies in the world have released their algorithms and platforms to use them to the public but they keep having an edge and obtaining better results because they have so much data they can feed to them that they obtain better results.
Taking it back to a human level, a person that has been exposed to a larger amount of data and information would be more often than not better suited to make decisions. Someone that has seen thousands or millions of hours of video or audio of their nearby village in their day to day lives may not be able to perceive or be as receptive to the thoughts and behaviors of someone who has read, seen or visited a multitude of cultures, their history, and their behavior.
The Underlying Algorithm
So the question becomes if humans were sharing some underlying logic, can this be proven? If we look at the history of civilizations we can see some similar patterns. Without question, one of the priorities for any civilization is the accumulation, production of food and water for survival as once these are secured it allows them to focus on other intellectually challenging pursuits. Even today, we sometimes get so caught with the day to day that they don’t have the time to ask deeper questions or analyze things from someone else’s perspective. Even then, one can argue that at later stages of our lives we start reaching the same conclusions. If you don’t believe me sit two 90-year-olds in a room and ask them to explain to you what is important in life or any kind of life advice and they will tend to agree on most of what each other says. Even though such individuals may have never seen each other before or experience similar things their experiences often lead them to the same conclusion.
Where do we go from here?
Like most complex topics there is no simple solution. In order to understand the behavior of other and cope with it, we must be exposed to as many experiences as possible that allow us to relate to others. In doing so we must also not only question the way others behave based on our perception but understand when trying to communicate how our actions can be perceived by others. The idea is not necessarily to avoid being who we truly are or want to be it’s more about being able to accept others for who they are and connecting with them at a human level so that they can also accept us for who we are.
