h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A super-serious discussion about the function of the brain has degenerated into a monosyllabic grunting contest calling for ale and wenches.

Being a man myself, I can fully understand why, but it does sort of undermine our collectivce denial that our brains do in fact reside in our dangly bits

Ale!

Wenches!

Now!

As all great discussions should end: with the fundamental realisation that however far we rise above our primal drives, however large our frontal lobes may grow, we cannot wait to get back to our brain stems and get loaded.

WENCH, fetch me my ale, and don't tarry with the Baron. I have other plans for you this eve!

All I have to say is that it's a good think Merkin knows what to do with wenches and large steam-driven engines. I'm at a loss, myself. I will take some of that fine ale, though!

Consume enough of that fine ale and you'll figure out what to do with the other two.

Yes, I've always thought that generous amounts of intoxicants increased your brainpower. Good to see I'm not alone in that opinion.

I'll drink to that.

If we were to examine the spacial dimensions of the average human brain, and compare that to the mass encountered in many of the various myriad other entities on this sphere it would become painfully obvious (I would hope) that the fact that our brain is the size it is, must be significant.
The size of our brains, would suggest the type of processing power which is needed to remain at our current state in the evolutionary ladder. If indeed we were only to need the theorized ten percent of our brain, one would suspect that some Nobel-prize toting bigBrain would surely have come across evidence of a species-wide shrinking of intelligence, and surely would then have to make some sort of commentary to the reversion to less civilized and hence more barbaric ways...hmmm, wait, that is happening. Right then, back to tea.

I'll drink to that as well.

And those who drink away the other 90%

3

The brain like other parts of the body is overly engineered. We have two of most organs in case one fails the other can take over. The brain may not be 100% in action 100% of the time but there are times when the brain is used to it's full potential. Asian cultures have believed in mind over matter for centuries and continue to prove that the mind can overcome some things in the physical. It may not be able to pick up cars or cook steaks but it can send signals to the body that let it do extroidanairy things. We've all heard stories of people picking up cars off of trapped victims or people getting shot in wars and not even knowing. The brain can block out large amounts of pain and make normal impossibilities possible. I think we've only seen a small portion of what the brain is truly capable of.

I have to agree with you there, S1, though I don't know about "mind over matter" in the strictest, traditinal sense of the word. "Mind over body", however, I'm fully in agreement with. Actually, when it comes down to it- "mind" and "matter" are one, whichever side of the theological/philisophical fence you come in on in regards to a living universe or a supreme being.

da Baron

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"Pidgeons, the universe shitting on itself."