Philosophy Now Forum

Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

I'm sure the Physicalists on this Forum will start talking about Chemical changes, Plasticity, and Neurons Firing. But the real mystery is how exactly do the Chemical changes, Plasticity, and Firing Neurons produce an actual Experience of a Conscious Memory of anything? The answer is nobody knows this.

-Imp

SteveKlinko wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 4:39 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

I'm sure the Physicalists on this Forum will start talking about Chemical changes, Plasticity, and Neurons Firing. But the real mystery is how exactly do the Chemical changes, Plasticity, and Firing Neurons produce an actual Experience of a Conscious Memory of anything?

That is another interesting question.

SteveKlinko wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 4:39 pm The answer is nobody knows this.

Interesting.

Impenitent wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:31 pm -Imp

That happen to me too on other subjects.

Maybe we don’t find the memories, maybe they find us. Either when they are called for, by the environment, they make themselves known, or, if they come about of their own accord, the process is the same.

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

What do you mean by "collective memory"?

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

The collective memory of humans contains all that is known. It is indexed by keywords. It is mined by search engines.

What goes on in the individual human mind is comparable.

? There is a vast amount of information not available to search engines.

Dimebag wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 9:27 am Maybe we don’t find the memories, maybe they find us. Either when they are called for, by the environment, they make themselves known, or, if they come about of their own accord, the process is the same.

The memory comes to us in all different modes, one of these modes is when we look for them.

Arising_uk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 7:16 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

What do you mean by "collective memory"?

All memory a person has gathered.

commonsense wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:20 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

The collective memory of humans contains all that is known. It is indexed by keywords. It is mined by search engines.

What is the search engine and how does it work?

commonsense wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:20 pm What goes on in the individual human mind is comparable.

What do you mean?

bahman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 8:05 pm

commonsense wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:20 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

The collective memory of humans contains all that is known. It is indexed by keywords. It is mined by search engines.

What is the search engine and how does it work?

commonsense wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:20 pm What goes on in the individual human mind is comparable.

What do you mean?

All human knowledge is catalogued online. Google is a widely used search engine.

I am suggesting that all that is known by an individual human is catalogued by associations or connections. I am not sure what would represent a Google mechanism, but I am postulating that something is fulfilling that function.

In a sense, I suppose, I am modeling the human brain after an artificial one.

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

To use the term 'find' for memory is misleading.

The proper term re memory is 'retrieve' thus there is a retrieving mechanism in the brain/mind to bring the memory to consciousness [waking, dreaming, etc.].
Thus there is need to understand the mechanism of this retrieving system understand why memory is so instinctual and fast on recall.

"Fast" in this case is relative and the appropriate contrast is against the retrieval of information within a computer with the assumption the brain works almost like a computer.

There are many types of memory which are managed by different sub-memory mechanisms thus there is a range of speeds the types of memory are recalled.

Why there is such a speed in the recall of memory is to facilitate survival especially remembering what are the dangerous threats and where to find food for survival. Generally, the greater the threat the faster the speed of retrieval especially via spontaneous instincts.

bahman wrote: ↑Wed Apr 08, 2020 8:03 pm

Arising_uk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 07, 2020 7:16 pm

bahman wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 7:07 pm Our collective memory is astonishing. It contains a vast amount of data. I was wondering how we could possibly so fast find a specific memory?

What do you mean by "collective memory"?

All memory a person has gathered.

Ah! Ok.

Are you asking for what explanations have been given for how memory works or what techniques are available to retrieve memories?