Antonio Flores, Johan Melecio, Tahmida Hasan, Henry Harris, Jasmine Pal

English 21003

Professor Zayas

Jargon Project Summary

Sept. 16th, 2024

“The end of science? On human cognitive limitations and how to overcome them” Summary 

The question at hand is whether there are fundamental limitations to human comprehension. Philosophers (Mysterians) argue that there are certain fundamental aspects of reality that will always remain beyond human comprehension, suggesting that certain problems might always remain unsolvable mysteries. Human limitations can be understood from two distinct viewpoints.

Human cognition is limited when trying to grasp the complexities of our universe. Some philosophers argue that our brains evolved mainly for survival and reproduction rather than unraveling cosmic mysteries, which consequently restricts our understanding.

On the other hand, it is also argued that human cognitive abilities are resilient and adaptable to understanding the world. It’s believed that our cognitive functions have developed to navigate and interpret our environment effectively. As a collective human civilization should be capable of solving many of the universe’s complexities,  with the aid of advanced approaches and tools.

The human brain is shaped by blind evolutionary processes that prioritized survival and reproduction over decoding the cosmos. This realization reflects our brain’s capabilities and limits our understanding. Despite the significant achievements of modern science, some philosophers and scientists remain skeptical about the extent of human capabilities. In contrast, other naturalists view our evolutionary development as a reason for optimism, suggesting that our brain evolved to understand the natural world and should be able to grasp its complexities.  New frameworks are introduced for understanding cognitive limitations, exploring strategies to extend our mental capabilities, using quantum mechanics and creating an array of tools where science is unlikely to reach its boundary.

Now, we will analyze the kind and forms of cognitive limitation, with the help of the New Mysterians, people with the philosophical view that humans cannot surpass a cognitive limit. 

As science has revealed through the years human brains come from a long line of evolutionary processes and modifications, the ability to do hard calculations, create a phone, even cook a meal are examples of how our brain has been modified by evolution. But if evolution is a slowly  continuous process, does that mean there are mysteries our brain cannot face right now? The answer to this question is given by the New Mysterian, people who believe that “ some thoughts and ideas lie beyond our ken “ ( page 3), which means that even though humanity has come this far, there is still a cognitive barrier between us and the universe. “ Because the human brain is just such a system, there are bound to be “thoughts that we are unequipped to think” (J. Fodor 1983, p. 125).  Being the human brain, a system slowly designed by evolution, while the norms of the universe is constant, is not a surprise there  are problems our brains are not designed to solve, yet.

But this cognitive limitation is a very open term, even the New Mysterians are ambiguous about its definition, one of the reasons is that the New Mysterians unclearly revolve around whether humanity would be able to achieve true scientific theory or if it will be able to achieve it without truly understanding it. To make this concept clear it is better to  analyze the different applications of  cognitive limitation.

There is a blind spot in human reality when it refers to the representation of the real world, because as others species on earth,  a pig for example cannot understand the difference between odd and even number, human beings have a specific set of cognitive abilities that cannot be change and this is a Representational closure, a cognitive limit where we lack representational access to the world. But, what about the part of the universe our cognitive capacity let us reach?  Even when humanity has access to a specific part of the world that does not mean we can always understand it, this kind of limitation is called an Imaginative closure, a kind of cognitive limit where we  have representational access but we lack the correct imaginative representation between us and some part of the world.

There is also a limit in how  we can sense and perceive the world, for example human beings have a specific range of vision and because of this it is normal that there are things that escape our vision and therefore our visual  understanding of the world. Thanks  to technology we have been slowly filling these blind spots. ( X-rays, ultrasounds, are clear examples of  how technology has reveal the world for us) but technology is no the effort of a single brain but instead the collective effort of humans as a brain all together, “ Many mind working together can understand what none of them would be able to understand of its own” ( page 7), passing down the knowledge through history scientist have been able to discover part of the true form of the world, and this is a point Mysterians can miss when the concept of cognitive limitation is applied only to a single brain.

When humanity breaks through a cognitive limitation it is likely that there will  be another hard  “wall“ waiting after.  This  makes us question whether there is an absolute limit to human knowledge, but even that question is like slamming to a wall. It cannot be answered because we do not have enough knowledge, fortunately humanity always moves forward and sinks deeper and deeper in knowledge and the uncertainty of whether or not our cognitive limitation has at limit itself has not been enough reason to stop  human progress. Over time the human brain has been able to excel several of its natural limitations. Even Mysterians who have regularly underestimated the human brain’s capacity cannot deny the accomplishments made over the years. We are now able to observe UV lights, hear ultrasounds and understand the complex concept of global warming. Though it is impossible to grasp the limits to our brain’s comprehension abilities, it would be a pity to misconstrue how far we can go.Using an analogy to further comprehend this concept, consider the use of computers. Technology has advanced immensely in moderation. From a simple pocket calculator, a regular timekeeping watch, and basic computers,or even cars. These gadgets have surpassed their origins. In modern day we have the best and most innovative structures which are constantly evolving.  it would be a threat to assume the human brain has reached its limitations and we can no longer further our cognition. The researchers emphasize this firmly. They use the example of extraterrestrial anthropologists coming to Earth thousands of years ago making the inaccurate conclusion that humans could never understand things like quantum physics or space-time. On the contrary, although our brain structure hasn’t altered significantly in the last 40,000 years and are designed to understand macroscopic objects, in today’s world we’ve managed to create astounding tools and strategies to extend our cognitive capabilities in unraveling the phenomena of modern physics. Overtime we’ve gotten used to scientific theories that once seemed bizarre, which have now lost their shock value.We are now able to acquire a more intuitive feel of time dilation, space-time curvature and higher dimensions, after years of exposure to these theories. 

Quantum mechanics is very different from other forms of physics. Since quantum physics has much more uncertainties to it, physicists use very different approaches to the subject. For example, quantum mechanics has a very large part of randomness to it on such a deep level, so most studies are approached with a lot of math. A lot of math means a varied amount of results, since there are many ways of doing the calculations. Most physicists agree that there is no concrete explanation to many results of these calculations.

As a result, researchers use a main strategy of metaphors and analogies to explain such bizarre concepts. We can take what we know very well about one thing, then apply it to something we do not to better understand it. Every field of science does this, but throughout history physicists have used metaphors to describe new ideas. Sometimes these metaphors are used to build off of each other, and are constantly changing. Other metaphors are used to build trust in mathematics that are usually very difficult to understand. Instead of going head-first into quantum mechanics with little understanding, physicists use many different metaphors to help in their research. In fact, many metaphors can be used for different things. Some of the most basic levels of metaphors can explain a variety of complex fields. Although metaphors can be imperfect, they are vital in moving learning faster. When you learn anything, for example in gaming, you use analogies to other games you are good at to better your skills. So, you should use those same tactics when learning anything in science.

Some philosophers (Mysterians) think there are things we can’t know or understand. They say we should be humble and accept this. But, they’re actually being confident and assuming they know a lot about what we can’t know. Mysterians assume there are limits to human knowledge, but this assumption requires knowledge they don’t have. We shouldn’t assume that there are things we can’t know or understand. Just because we don’t understand something now, doesn’t mean we won’t in the future. By saying we’ll never understand something, they’re actually encouraging us to try to prove them wrong. So, Mysterians aren’t as humble as they seem. But, we shouldn’t give up. We can still learn and discover new things. We should be open to new ideas and possibilities. We’ve already extended our minds in various ways, and we can continue to do so. We can learn and understand more than we think. Just because our brains have limits doesn’t mean we can’t find ways to overcome them. Our minds are capable of learning and growing, and we’ve developed tools to extend our minds and senses, allowing us to learn and understand. We might not know everything, but we can use our imagination to understand new things. We’ve done great things in science and can keep learning. Overall, we can push the boundaries of human understanding and make progress in science. This means embracing a growth mindset, learning from failures, and collaborating with others to achieve breakthroughs.