Why the Brain Cannot Be a Computer
A new paper argues that the human brain cannot function as a classical digital computer. The research highlights that the information required to specify conscious states exceeds the brain's physical information capacity. This suggests that alternative information processing mechanisms may be necessary to understand consciousness.
- ▪The paper presents an information-theoretic proof regarding the limitations of the human brain as a digital computer.
- ▪It quantifies distinguishable conscious states and their historical dependencies.
- ▪The analysis shows that the minimum information required for conscious states significantly surpasses the brain's storage capabilities.
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Physics > History and Philosophy of Physics arXiv:2503.10518 (physics) [Submitted on 13 Mar 2025] Title:Why the Brain Cannot Be a Digital Computer: History-Dependence and the Computational Limits of Consciousness Authors:Andrew Knight View a PDF of the paper titled Why the Brain Cannot Be a Digital Computer: History-Dependence and the Computational Limits of Consciousness, by Andrew Knight View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:This paper presents a novel information-theoretic proof demonstrating that the human brain as currently understood cannot function as a classical digital computer.
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