Computers And Exocortex

Can computers help you think? They can, but they may also cause some issues. Basically computers can serve as extensions of our mind, storing and processing information. Before computers people used other media to store information and sometimes to process it. They uses notebooks, books, abaci, and other things. As our memory is limited, especially our short-term memory, even such a simple devices can improve human cognitive abilities.

Computers can do even more. In the same time, if some function is done by a computer, a brain may stop doing this after some time and become less proficient with it. So people are better to recognize their dependence on any external systems and take necessary precautions to avoid losing access to them. If you have delegated some of your thought process to an external system, think of a backup approach in case you lose access to the system.

A simple example is having a list of contacts somewhere. If you lose it you can’t reach some important people. In the same time a simple copying of this information somewhere can help you to avoid a scenario like this. If you have a device you use, you can check how can you have access to a spare one. If you use a piece of software, it can be installed on a number of devices too. And of course you can stop using some of these systems from time to time to train your own brain to work with them.

It may be a useful exercise by itself, because you are changing your surroundings and you are adapting to new situations. These changes can lead to new thoughts and ideas after all.

An important thing in this process, as I see it, is to recognize these external systems as parts of your mind. It may sound strange for some people, but it is an adequate approximation of what these systems do. So losing access to these systems can be synonymous with losing a part of your mind, probably not a very pleasant process. In the same time you can return to the exercise I describe before—intentionally disconnecting yourself from these systems for a period of time. In this way you can feel and experience all negatives, but in a safe environment. This probably can help you to plan for backups and reduce stress if something like this happen unexpectedly.