Not just another New Theory of Intelligence
a review of A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins
How do we think? How do we navigate the world? What is intelligence? How does my brain work? If you have asked yourself these questions, Jeff Hawkins has some revolutionary but straightforward answers. Part 1 of his 2021 book, A Thousand Brains is the best 100 pages I have ever read on this topic. His writing is understandable, but his findings are revolutionary. I urge you to get and read this book even if you never get to parts two and three.
Hawkins has done his homework. Starting out in the tech world as the inventor of the Palm Pilot and other handheld devices, he transitioned his career into neuroscience where he founded the Redwood Neuroscience Institute and then cofounded Numenta, a neuroscience research company. He takes an engineer’s perspective on understanding brain function, testing his theories by building computer simulations of the various processes. While his concepts are clearly understandable and presented in basic prose, they are backed up by numerous peer-reviewed journal articles.
The Thousand Brains Theory
Let me present the short-form version of Hawkins Thousand Brains Theory of Intelligence in the next few paragraphs. He starts from the premise that we are physical beings, and…
