The REAL Computational Power of the Human Brain
Ray Kurzweil makes the ludicrous claim in his latest book that a neuron can be simulated by 1000 computations per second. Here is an essay that refutes that claim. According to Thagard, the computational power of the human brain is more on the order of 10^23 calculations per second. Thagard doesn't consider other avenues of computation that neurons use (like mechano-transduction) but his estimate is a good lower bound for now.
Of course, Kurzweil believes in his estimate because he believes it would make him immortal. In the posts to follow, I will go in to more detail about the real computational power of the human brain and show just how wrong Kurzweil is.
Of course, Kurzweil believes in his estimate because he believes it would make him immortal. In the posts to follow, I will go in to more detail about the real computational power of the human brain and show just how wrong Kurzweil is.



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