whitebread

I was thinking over break, when I shouldn’t have been thinking, about how the human brain works. Specifically, I was considering memory and the speed with which we can process information. The fastest way to do something is to already have done it, and thus I propose that people do not really experience anything, but simply glob together pre-existing thoughts. As infants we cannot really think, but are busy accumulating the basic memories that will influence our perception for the rest of our lives. Having obtained a handful of thoughts and their corresponding words, we begin associating, and only slowly assimilate new thoughts.

This would help explain not only the aparent speed of our minds, but also why eye-witnesses rarely describe a scene in the same way. Additionally, memory seems to work best when we consciously apply associative techniques.

I haven’t read nearly enough in this field to actually make a coherent argument, so if anyone can tell me this is wrong or right, please do.