The Pervasiveness of Powerful Personal Computer Processors

Introduction

            Computers are everywhere and the processors for personal computers these days are more powerful. In the last decade, we have witnessed the advancement of computer in the areas of movies and entertainment, multimedia arts, science and technology, business and industries, health, sports, and education. Humans have created the very useful and powerful machines that have made our lives convenient. However, there are shades of controversies and arguments claiming the superiorities and abilities of either the human brain or the computer’s processor.

Humans have created and developed a great machine and the capabilities of their creations have gone beyond our imagination.

Human Mind and Computer

            People created computers and software that functions like the human mind. The human brain processes information similar to a computer. It receives information, scrutinizes it, stores it, and remembers past knowledge to work out problems rationally. Since the human mind possesses all the memories of past events and memories of everything that has happened in our life, we can use it to recall the information that we need.

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For instance, while you are driving, you hear an old familiar music on the radio that you have not heard for a long time.

You are thinking of the name of singer who sung the song and suddenly you recall the name of the singer and the lyrics of the song. The human brain is sometimes faulty and does not always work they way we want it to but our memory comes back while we may be thinking of something completely different.

This problem is due to the organization of memory in the human mind. The human brain stores millions of memories but it has no idea where they are located (New York University Office of Public Affairs, 2008). The information in the brain is retrieved not by knowing where it is, but by using cues or clues that hint at what we are looking for (ibid.)

            Gelgi (2000) wrote that consciousness or the understanding process is the most important factor that differentiates the computer from the human mind. He further stressed that the computer can compute the data given but it cannot understand what it is. It can perform any operation for which it is programmed but it cannot evaluate nor make its own judgments (Priddy, 1999). A good example of this statement can be applied in statistical analysis where the researcher feeds the raw scores into the computer to determine the results of the survey.

The computer will yield either a “1” or “2” that may represent “yes” or “no” respectively but it cannot provide a descriptive analysis of the data. The computer simply follows instructions; hence it does not have a mind. Searle (1980) claimed that the mind is not a computer program because computer programs has a syntax and human minds have semantics and is not an algorithm. Humans obtain information through the senses and they have the ability to read and interpret facial expressions (Technology Research News, 2006).

Because of our ability to pick up gestures and understand body language, we tend to disregard the use of verbal expression. When we see a person smile, nod, and raise his eyebrows, we can interpret this as a sign of greeting or saying “hi” or “hello” in non-verbal manner. A computer is a powerful machine that is capable of repetitive and logical functions but it cannot be compared to the human brain as it cannot communicate with us in a manner we are accustomed to (ibid.).

Conclusion

            Computers are extensions of the human mind and body. The complexities of the human brain in terms of thinking process and its multitude neuron network structures cannot be duplicated by machines that are controlled and created by human beings. Computers are effective tools that has made our lives more comfortable but it does not have the capability to think, feel, interpret, and decide like human beings.

References

Gelgi, F. (2000). Can AI be more advanced than the human mind? Retrieved July 4, 2008 from http://www.public.asu.edu/~fgelgi/ai/ai_mind/ai_mind_ess.htm.

New York University Office of Public Affairs (2008). Human mind product of chaotic evolutionary path, NYU psychology professor concludes in new book. Retrieved July 5, 2008 from http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/2087.

Priddy, R. (1999). The mind-computer analogy. Retrieved July 5, 2008 from http://home.no.net/rrpriddy/lim/13.html.

Searle, J.R. (1980). Minds, brains, and programs. Retrieved July 5, 2008 from http://members.aol.com/NeoNoetics/MindsBrainsPrograms.html.

Technology Research News (2005). Pattern recognition: computers and human communications. Retrieved on July 4, 2008 from http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2005/030905/HIW_Pattern_Recognition_030905.html.