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The three-pound organ in your skull - with its pink consistency of Jell-o - is an alien kind of computational material. It is composed of miniaturized, self-configuring parts, and it vastly outstrips anything we've dreamt of building.
David Eagleman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The brain is an incredibly complex and advanced organ that exceeds human engineering capabilities.

David Eagleman highlights the astonishing complexity and functionality of the human brain, comparing it to a computational material that is not only self-configuring but also surpasses any technology created by humans. This quote emphasizes the brain's unique attributes and its role as an extraordinary organ in human existence.

Themes

BrainComplexityComputationScienceHuman Anatomy

In practice

Example use cases

In a neuroscience lecture when discussing the advanced capabilities of the brain.

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It turns out your conscious mind - the part you think of as you - is really the smallest part of what’s happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.
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You´re not perceiving what's out there. You're perceiving whatever your brain tells you.
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