Introduction: Democracy at Work in the Brain? _Richard Dawkins, 5

Part 1: What We Learned About the Brain
Chapter 1: Old Brain and New Brain·34
Chapter 2: Vernon Mountcastle's Awesome Concepts·47
Chapter 3: The World Model in Our Heads·58
Chapter 4: The Brain Reveals Its Secrets · 72
Chapter 5: Maps in the Brain·95
Chapter 6: Concepts, Language, and Higher-Order Thinking·111
Chapter 7: A Thousand Brain Theories of Intelligence·138

Part 2 Machine Intelligence
Chapter 8: Why Is There No "I" in AI? · 175
Chapter 9: When Machines Become Conscious · 197
Chapter 10: The Future of Machine Intelligence·211
Chapter 11: The Existential Risks of Machine Intelligence·232

Part 3 Human Intelligence
Chapter 12: False Beliefs·252
Chapter 13: The Existential Risk of Human Intelligence·269
Chapter 14: The Combination of Brain and Machine · 288
Chapter 15: The Inheritance Plan for Humanity·302
Chapter 16: Genes vs. Knowledge·322

Final Thoughts: What Will Be the Fate of Intelligence and Knowledge? ·348

Further Reading·355
Words of Thanks·365
Illustration Copyright 369
Search·370

Puzzle Matching

Humans are the first species on Earth to have figured out the size and age of the universe, how Earth evolved, how we came to be, and even now, at this very moment, to create tools to explore the universe and uncover its secrets.
So humans are “defined by their intelligence and knowledge, not their genes.”

It is truly astonishing that humans, the only intelligent species that knows that the universe exists, are based on a mere 1.5 kg lump of cells (the brain).
However, while scientists have discovered a tremendous amount of information and knowledge about the brain, little is known about how the brain produces human intelligence. Francis Crick, renowned for his DNA research, once said, "Despite the steady accumulation of knowledge, the workings of the human brain remain a great mystery."

According to the book, the reason the brain remains a mystery isn't because we don't have enough data, but because we don't know how to arrange the pieces we already have.
The book starts here.
That is, finding a way to properly fit together the puzzle pieces of the brain that are constantly being added.

The 'new brain' where intelligence is created and resides

The human brain is divided into the 'old brain' and the 'new brain'.
The 'old brain' is responsible for instinctive functions such as human survival and reproduction, and the 'new brain', a product of evolution, controls the 'old brain'.
Richard Dawkins uses an analogy to connect this to pain in the introduction to his book.
It is the 'old brain' that feels pain when playing with hot coals and keeps them away to save one's life, but it is the 'new brain' that willingly endures torture that entails terrible pain and follows the belief that 'one must not betray one's country' rather than one's own life.
This 'new brain' creates human intelligence.
So how does this 'new brain' work?

The book first summarizes the results of previous brain science research and explains the biological structure of the brain.
The gist of it is this:
The newest part of the brain is the neocortex.
It exists only in mammals, including humans, and the human neocortex accounts for 70% of the entire brain.
This neocortex creates and sustains intelligence.
The neocortex contains 100,000 nerve cells in a space roughly the size of a grain of rice (2.5㎣), and there are 500 million connections (synapses) between these nerve cells.
A single one of these rice-grain-sized structures is called a 'cortical column'.
There are 150,000 of these cortical columns throughout the neocortex.
Each of the 150,000 cortical columns that make up the neocortex is connected to one another to perceive the world and create intelligence.

A Thousand Brains Voting

At birth, the neocortex knows nothing.
The neocortex learns about the rich and complex world through experience.
The key is how to learn.
Unlike computers, the human brain cannot upload files, so the book says the only way the brain can learn is by recognizing "changes (movements)" in information input through senses such as sight or touch.
To detect these changes, the neocortex creates a model of the world using a kind of map called a "frame of reference."
The book provides a thorough argument for how the frame of reference is implemented, citing examples such as finding a place, distinguishing coffee cups, and matching music.
And in this book, we look at the most controversial theories and how they differ from existing neuroscience theories.

While conventional scientists believe that various information inputs coming through sensory nerves converge at a specific location in the brain (neocortex), the author argues that “each cortical column votes (!).”
That is, our perception of the world is the result of a consensus reached through voting by cortical columns.
This is explained in a scientific and exciting way through various experiments and examples.


The brain operates very efficiently, and the neocortex does not rely on a single cortical column.
Even if thousands of cortical columns are damaged by a stroke or trauma, the brain functions without major problems.
Models of how we perceive the world are distributed across thousands of cortical columns, and these cortical columns are completely independent.
These cortical columns vote on the countless inputs and arrive at a single answer.
That is, the brain is not one, but is made up of thousands of independent brains.
The book explains how such systems work not only for simple sensations and perceptions, but also for abstract concepts such as mathematics, politics, and language, as well as for higher-order thinking.
Richard Dawkins is amazed by this.
“Democracy works in our brains?”

The Future of Unintelligent AI and 'Machine Intelligence'

The book devotes a significant portion to new stories about the brain and intelligence, as well as the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and true “machine intelligence.”
The author says that AI so far has no intelligence.
This is not to disparage AI research.
However, it is diagnosed that the direction and approach are wrong.
If the goal is to replace human intelligence, it is argued that machine intelligence must also be preceded by research on how the human brain creates intelligence and the methods used to do so.
In that sense, the AI ​​we have developed so far is nothing more than a technological advancement that has only slightly improved upon human intelligence.

Regarding the author's argument, Bill Gates also said, "Even if an AI that plays chess surpasses humans, it does not have human intelligence because it does not have an 'I' that is aware that it is playing the game."
The Financial Times selected it as its "Book of the Year," praising it as a book that "explores whether truly intelligent robots are possible."

The epitaph reads, "Once upon a time we were there."

The book seeks (neuroscientific) answers to questions like, "Will AI really replace humans?", "Will machine intelligence lead to the destruction of humanity?", and vague fears, as well as science fiction-like imagination questions like, "Can we upload the human brain to a machine?", "Can I clone myself into multiple machines?", and "What is the real me?"


The book also contains fundamental reflections such as, "Why can't humanity harness its own intelligence to create a sustainable Earth free from the dangers of climate change and nuclear war?"
It's fascinating that he suggests that instead of using our own intelligence to signal to any extraterrestrial intelligence that might exist somewhere, "Let's erect a tombstone that says, 'We were here once.'"
The author's interest and affection for the extraordinary human intelligence created by the brain and beyond its boundaries are evident throughout the book.

“This book shows the journey from the evolution of our brain to the extinction of our species.
Jeff Hawkins beautifully depicts groundbreaking discoveries in neuroanatomy and neuroscience, keeping readers constantly engaged.”
- The New York Times

“In this fascinating book, Jeff Hawkins develops a new theory about the nature of human intelligence.
“We also explore whether truly intelligent robots are possible.”
- Financial Times