How the Web Became Our ‘External Brain,’ and What It Means for Our Kids
The title doesn’t really do the article justice – the theme Harris is proposing is that “technology is changing the structure of our brains” ! ! ! On the other hand, and Harris does acknowledge this – our brains are designed to be changed. In many ways that is what is so unique about our brains (and perhaps what gave us the edge over the Neanderthal brain). In fact this very plasticity that may account for the rise and evolution of speech and language as a result of developing technological prowess (knapping stone tools). So adaptation to the internet may be a good thing freeing our brains from having to remember a lot of stuff and allowing new modes of thinking. Who knows, with brains like ours, our intellectual evolution isn’t over, and may yet give us an advantage over the fast evolving AI threat.