The Finite Brain and Its Working Chamber
Although the human brain has tremendous
power and reserves, it is not infinite in capacity. In fact, when it comes
to conscious thought it is surprisingly limited.
One important constraint is the number of independent concepts
we can hold our attention on at once. It's a common rule of thumb that
our minds can hold between 5 and 10 ideas at a time.
It may surprise you that the number is so small compared
to the vastness of neurons and interconnections in the human brain. A
salient point is that these ideas reside in the highest levels of cognition,
in the neo-cortex. The brain must commit huge amounts of processing power
to support even a single syllogism, because it is not the innate method
of neural processing.
A good example of the working chamber can be recognized
when we are asked to consider a graphic image. If there are more than
5or 10 things on it, most people will not even try to understand it. And
when the image is explained, it must be done a piece at a time.
Now this is so obvious, you may be thinking why waste
time discussing this. Let me mention the history of how an area of study
becomes a productive subject. First, there is a gathering of facts that
comprise the subject matter. Then, the practioners develop a vocabulary.
When they use this new vocabulary, those words are the new units of thought.
This vocabulary allows the practioners to focus their 5 -10 thoughts on
important facts and develop consequences of the subject's facts.
Of course, I can only use introspection on myself, so
this next example is drawn from my way of thinking. Every constraining rule
governing one's thinking subtracts one from the number of available facts
you can hold in the working chamber.
For example, my wife says do not curse. After bootcamp,
many of my fundamental assessments have intensifiers that are cuss words.
I must parse them out or substitute for them. The maximum number of content
thoughts on a subject then is minus one for me.
