"We use emotions, the brain's steersman, to assign value to our experiences and to future possibilities, often allowing us to evaluate potential outcomes efficiently and rapidly when information is uncertain."
— Aamodt, Sandra; Wang, Sam
Author
Work Title
Date
March 31, 2009
Metaphor
"We use emotions, the brain's steersman, to assign value to our experiences and to future possibilities, often allowing us to evaluate potential outcomes efficiently and rapidly when information is uncertain."
Metaphor in Context
Still, engineers could learn a thing or two from brain strategies. For example, even the most advanced computers have difficulty telling a dog from a cat, something that can be done at a glance by a toddler — or a cat. We use emotions, the brain’s steersman, to assign value to our experiences and to future possibilities, often allowing us to evaluate potential outcomes efficiently and rapidly when information is uncertain. In general, we bring an extraordinary amount of background information to bear on seemingly simple tasks, allowing us to make inferences that are difficult for machines.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Aamodt, Sandra, and Sam Wang. "Computers vs. Brains." The New York Times Online Opinionator. March 31, 2009. <Link to NYTimes.com>
Date of Entry
03/11/2010
