Difference between a Brain and a Computer

 

The difference between a brain and a computer can be expressed in a single word, that is, 'complexity'. 

The human brain is the most complicated thing and weighs only three pounds. In these three pounds, there are ten billion nerve cells and a hundred billion smaller cells. These billions of cells are interconnected in a very complicated network that cannot be understood so easily. 

Can a computer think? That depends on what you mean by "think". If solving a mathematical problem is "thinking" then a computer can "think" and does faster than man does. Of course, most mathematical problems can be solved quite mechanically by repeating certain straightforward processes over and over again. Even the simple computers of today can do.

It is frequently said that computers solve problems only because they are programmed to do so. They can only do what men have fed in them. One must remember that human beings can also do only what they are programmed to do. 

                    Our programme is very complex. We might like to define "thinking" as the creativity that goes into writing a play, composing a symphony, conceiving a scientific theory, or making a judgment. In that sense, computers certainly can't think. 

The brain is made up of cells in a certain arrangement. The cells are made up of atoms and molecules in certain arrangements. To duplicate the material complexity of the brain is, therefore, to duplicate everything about it. 

But how long will it take to build a computer complex enough, to duplicate the human brain? Perhaps not as long as some may think. Long as some may think. Long before we approach a computer, we will perhaps build a computer that is, at least, complex enough to design another computer more complex than itself.  This more complex computer can design one still more complex than itself. This further complex computer can be developed into one still more complex than the previous one, and so forth. 

In other words, once we pass a certain critical point, the computers take over and there will be a "complexity explosion". In a very short time thereafter, computers may exist that will not only duplicate the human brain., but also will surpass it. Will a time ever come when man will have to hand over the job to someone who can do it better than he can do?

Yes! Perhaps. But we will have to wait till such a wonder takes place. Most scientists and knowledgeable observers agree that computers will change our lives completely, more than the automobile, television, or any technological innovation has done so far. How far can computers go? Science writer Issac Asimov compares the computer with the human brain. His conclusions may frighten you. they're sure to make you stop and think. But computers definitely are going to create havoc, somewhere, sooner or later! Let's wait and see!