What is a Thought? How the Brain Creates New Ideas | Henning Beck | TEDxHHL

Summary

In this insightful talk, brain researcher Henning Beck explores the nature of human thought and creativity, contrasting it with the capabilities of computers. Beck emphasizes that while data is abundant, true innovation comes from ideas that cannot be measured or replicated by machines. He explains that our brains, though slower and more error-prone than computers, possess a unique ability for 'concept thinking' that allows us to understand and create in ways algorithms cannot. Beck encourages embracing imperfection and stepping outside of our echo chambers to foster an environment conducive to generating groundbreaking ideas.

Takeaways

• 💡 The script discusses the difference between data and ideas, emphasizing that data is a collection of letters and numbers without inherent meaning, whereas ideas are creative and innovative thoughts that can't be measured or Googled.
• 🧠 It highlights the brain's unique way of thinking compared to a computer, pointing out that the brain is slower, more error-prone, and self-oriented, yet capable of outperforming computers in certain tasks like pattern recognition.
• 🤔 The importance of not confusing information with knowledge or ideas is stressed, as information can be easily accessed but true understanding and creativity come from within the mind.
• 🎼 The brain's process of thinking is likened to an orchestra where individual parts come together to create a melody, suggesting that thoughts emerge from the interaction and synchronization of brain cells.
• 🚀 The speaker argues that mistakes in thinking are what allow for creativity and innovation, distinguishing humans from machines that follow algorithms without the ability to break rules or think outside the box.
• 🌐 The script touches on the inability of computers to understand context and make intuitive leaps, as humans can, using the example of recognizing a chair in various forms.
• 🧐 It explains that understanding, not just learning, is crucial for innovation because understanding changes the way we process information and allows for quick adaptation to new concepts.
• 🛌 The benefits of taking breaks, sleeping, and allowing the mind to wander are discussed as ways to foster creativity and new ideas, counter to the efficiency-focused approach of computers.
• 🏠 The idea of escaping echo chambers and seeking out diverse and challenging viewpoints is presented as a method to spark new ideas and break from conformist thinking.
• 👶 The script uses the example of children's rapid understanding of new concepts to illustrate the human brain's powerful ability to grasp and apply new information instantly.
• 🌟 Finally, it concludes that the next great idea will likely come from human brains, not computers, because of our slower, more irrational, and imperfect nature, which paradoxically gives us an edge in understanding and creativity.

Q & A

What is the main difference between data and an idea according to Henning Beck?

Data is a simple collection of letters and numbers that can be processed electronically but have no inherent meaning. An idea, on the other hand, is a creative or innovative thought that arises from the use of information and cannot be measured like data.

Why is it important to distinguish between information and knowledge according to the script?

Information is readily available through various tools like the internet, but knowledge involves understanding and internalizing that information, which is a process that happens in the mind and leads to the ability to generate original ideas.

How does Henning Beck describe the brain's processing power compared to a computer?

Beck explains that while a computer can perform billions of operations per second with high accuracy, the brain cells operate at a much slower pace and are more prone to errors. However, the brain's strength lies in its ability to create and process thoughts in a unique way that computers cannot replicate.

What is the fundamental principle of how we think, as explained by Henning Beck?

The fundamental principle of human thinking is the activity pattern or state of the neuronal network in the brain. Unlike computers, the brain does not distinguish between processing and output, as processing information is the thought itself.

How does Beck illustrate the difference between human thinking and computer algorithms?

Beck uses the example of recognizing a face. While computers require thousands or even millions of steps following an algorithm, humans can do it almost instantly due to the brain's unique way of processing information through neural networks and creating activity patterns.

What is the role of mistakes in the creative process according to the script?

Mistakes play a crucial role in the creative process because they allow for the generation of new thoughts or activity patterns without事先 knowing whether they are correct or not. This trial-and-error approach is what separates human creativity from the precision of computers.

How does social interaction and feedback contribute to the validation of an idea, as mentioned in the script?

Social interaction and feedback are essential in validating an idea because they provide the social practice and try-and-error mechanism that cannot be digitized. An idea is considered good when others acknowledge its value, which is a form of social confirmation.

What is the concept of 'concept thinking' or 'categorized thinking' as introduced by Henning Beck?

'Concept thinking' or 'categorized thinking' refers to the human ability to understand and categorize information in a way that allows for the creation of new ideas. It is different from the computer's approach to learning, which is based on patterns and algorithms.

How does Beck suggest we can foster creativity and innovation?

Beck suggests taking breaks, doing unrelated activities, and stepping back to see things in a new context. He also recommends challenging one's own opinions and ideas, and escaping echo chambers to provoke new thoughts.

What is the significance of understanding versus learning, as discussed in the script?

Understanding is more profound than learning because once you understand something, it changes the way you process information. Understanding is irreversible, unlike learning, which can be unlearned. This deep understanding allows for quick and creative thought processes.

How does the script emphasize the importance of being imperfect in the context of creativity?

The script emphasizes that being imperfect, slower, and irrational are the qualities that make human brains capable of understanding and creativity, which are not replicable by computers. These imperfections allow us to come up with truly new and innovative ideas.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 The Brain's Unique Approach to Creativity

Henning Beck, a brain researcher, introduces the concept of creativity and innovation in the human brain, contrasting it with data and information processing. He emphasizes that while data is simple and lacks meaning, ideas are complex and can be game-changers. Beck explains that the brain is not like a supercomputer but operates on a subconscious level, using information to form new thoughts. He highlights the brain's slower and error-prone nature compared to computers but points out its ability to perform tasks that require pattern recognition much faster, showcasing the brain's unique and powerful way of thinking.

05:01

🎼 The Orchestral Nature of Thought

This paragraph delves into the brain's method of thinking, likening it to an orchestra where individual musicians represent brain cells. The melody of the orchestra is akin to a thought in the brain, emerging from the synchronization of these cells. Beck illustrates that thoughts are not located in any specific area but are the result of the interaction and information processing among brain cells. He argues that this method of thinking, which he calls 'concept thinking' or 'categorized thinking,' allows for the creation of new ideas through trial and error and social feedback, something that cannot be digitized and remains uniquely human.

10:05

🌱 The Power of Understanding and Concept Thinking

The speaker discusses the difference between learning and understanding, suggesting that understanding is a deeper process that changes the way we process information. He uses the example of a child quickly grasping the concept of a 'smoke detector' to illustrate how humans can instantly understand new concepts. Beck then contrasts this with the limitations of computers, which struggle with tasks that require immediate understanding and categorization. He emphasizes that our ability to understand and create new concepts on the spot is a powerful tool for innovation.

15:07

🚀 Fostering Creativity in the Digital Age

In the final paragraph, Beck offers advice on how to stay creative and innovative in a world dominated by technology. He suggests taking breaks, engaging in activities that clear the mind, and stepping back to see things in a new context. Beck also encourages breaking out of echo chambers by seeking out diverse opinions and challenging one's own beliefs. He concludes by celebrating the human brain's slower, irrational, and imperfect nature as the source of our creativity and understanding, which gives us an edge over machines.

Keywords

💡Brain Researcher

A brain researcher is a professional who studies the brain's structure, function, and diseases. In the video, Henning Beck identifies himself as a brain researcher, emphasizing his expertise in explaining the cognitive processes that lead to the generation of new thoughts. His role is central to the video's theme of understanding how the human brain creates ideas in contrast to data processing by computers.

💡Information

Information, in the context of this video, refers to data that has been processed and given meaning. It is a key concept as Beck distinguishes between raw data and the meaningful insights that can be derived from it. He suggests that while data is ubiquitous and can be easily measured, information is more complex and vital for fostering creativity and innovation.

💡Data

Data is presented as a collection of letters, numbers, and signs that can be electronically processed but initially lack inherent meaning. In the video, Beck points out that data is often confused with information, but it is only the starting point. The script uses data as a contrast to ideas, highlighting that while data can be measured, ideas, which are born from information, cannot.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value. The video discusses the importance of innovation as a product of creative thinking, emphasizing that true innovation arises from the ability to generate game-changing ideas, which are distinguished from the mere collection of data.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness, as touched upon in the script, refers to the awareness of one's thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. Beck mentions that most of the brain's activities run subconsciously, which makes the process of thinking and generating ideas complex and intriguing. This concept is central to understanding how ideas emerge from the interaction of brain cells.

💡Algorithm

An algorithm is a stepwise procedure for solving problems, typically used in computer programming. Beck contrasts the methodical approach of computers using algorithms with the more fluid and less predictable process of human thought. Algorithms are deterministic and follow a set path, whereas human thinking can be more creative and adaptive.

💡Neuronal Network

A neuronal network, as described in the script, is a complex web of interconnected neurons that facilitate communication within the brain. Beck uses the concept of a neuronal network to illustrate how individual brain cells, acting collectively, can produce activity patterns or thoughts. This network is central to the video's message about the collective nature of thought processes.

💡Deep Learning

Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks to model and solve problems. In the video, Beck references deep learning to highlight the difference between how computers 'learn' and how humans understand. While computers can analyze vast amounts of data to recognize patterns, humans can abstract and generalize concepts to understand and create new ideas.

💡Concept Thinking

Concept thinking, as introduced by Beck, is a type of thinking that allows for the creation of new ideas by categorizing and abstracting information. The video uses the example of understanding what a chair is beyond its physical form, to illustrate how concept thinking enables humans to see chairs in various forms and to innovate in design.

💡Echo Chamber

An echo chamber is a metaphorical term for an environment where only one viewpoint is heard and reinforced, leading to a lack of diversity in thought. Beck advises against being in an echo chamber to foster creativity, suggesting that exposure to different and challenging viewpoints can spark new ideas.

💡Understanding

Understanding, in the context of the video, refers to the human ability to grasp the meaning or essence of something, which goes beyond mere learning or data processing. Beck emphasizes that understanding is a deeper cognitive process that allows for the creation of new thoughts and ideas, and is what sets humans apart from computers in terms of creativity.

Highlights

The brain's process of using information to create new thoughts is distinct from data processing.

Data is a simple collection of letters and numbers without inherent meaning.

Creativity and innovation occur when one unique idea stands out among many thoughts.

Information is not the same as having an idea or knowledge; ideas cannot be Googled.

The brain operates subconsciously, making the study of thought processes challenging but intriguing.

The brain is not a supercomputer; it is slower, more error-prone, and less connected than a computer.

The brain's self-oriented nature contrasts with the connectivity of computers to the internet.

The brain's power to outperform computers lies in its ability to quickly recognize patterns.

Computers use algorithms with a clear input, processing, and output sequence.

The brain's thought process is an activity pattern among interconnected neurons.

A thought in the brain emerges from the synchronization of neuronal activity, similar to an orchestra.

Intelligence is about following rules efficiently, not about rule-breaking or creativity.

Mistakes in thinking can lead to new ideas and patterns, unlike the error-free nature of computers.

Social interaction and feedback are crucial for validating ideas, a process that cannot be digitized.

Concept or categorized thinking allows for the creation of new ideas through understanding, not just learning.

Deep learning in computers is limited to recognizing patterns, unlike the brain's ability to understand concepts.

Understanding allows for instantaneous comprehension and application of new information.

Children demonstrate an innate ability to understand complex concepts at first sight.

The difference between data and understanding is exemplified by the brain's ability to categorize and conceptualize information.

Taking breaks, sleep, and distractions can foster creativity by allowing the mind to process information in a new context.

Engaging in routine activities can clear the mind and attract new ideas, a technique used by many creative geniuses.

Escaping echo chambers and challenging one's own opinions can spark new ideas and understanding.

The next great idea will be created by the human brain, leveraging its slower, irrational, and imperfect nature.

Understanding the world, rather than just analyzing it, gives humans an ultimate edge in creativity and innovation.

Transcripts

Translator: Ai Van Tran Reviewer: Ellen Maloney

What is an idea?

What is a thought?

And how do we think of these great and new ideas that are worth spreading?

My name is Henning Beck.

I'm a brain researcher,

and I want to show you what is going on in your mind

when you use information to give rise to new thoughts.

This is important because information is all around us.

Many people think it all starts with data.

Date, the resource of the 21st century.

Data is everywhere.

Companies collect our data, we do data analysis and data correlation,

but in fact, data itself is pretty simple:

It's just a collection of letters and numbers,

signs you can process electronically, but have no meaning,

And you can measure data, but you cannot measure an idea.

Because when are you really creative or innovative?

When you have a thousand thoughts, only one, the real game changer.

So, maybe information is more important.

We have so many tools nowadays to acquire information.

We have smart phones, mobile devices, the internet everywhere.

But never mix up information with having an idea or knowledge,

because you can Google information,

but you cannot Google an idea.

Because having an idea, acquiring knowledge,

understanding stuff, this is what is happening in your mind

when you use information to change the way you think.

So, what is that kind of thinking?

Well, everything you see here is just the surface of what is going on

in your mind when you think.

Most of the things run subconsciously, which makes it damn hard to investigate

but even more interesting.

So, let's zoom into the brain to check out what is going on when we think.

Many people think the brain is something like a supercomputer,

like the ultimate calculating engine.

It is supposed to be extremely fast, super connected, and highly accurate.

When you have something on your mind, like right now hopefully,

a picture, or an image, or something like that,

you can see very sharp and precise and switch very easily,

much faster than a computer, right?

Because what can you do with this one?

This one's at least stylish, it has appeal on your desktop, but that's it, right?

Well, look at this again and you see it's totally the other way around.

A computer you can put on your desktop

easily calculates 3.4 billion times a second.

Brain cells are much slower and only do 500 operations maximum speed.

Computer don't make any mistakes

A rough estimation is one error in a trillion operations,

and brains, you probably know this from your personal life,

much more error prone, and make mistakes a billion times as often.

In computers, you can plug into the internet,

and you're connected with the world contrary to the brain.

Because the brain is 99 per cent self-oriented,

most of nerve fibers never get outside of your skull,

most of the brain cells never see what's going on in reality.

So, from this perspective you have to say "Okay the brain is everything but perfect.

It is lame, it is lousy, and it is selfish, and it still works."

Look around you, working brains wherever I look, more or less.

But still, each one of you has the power to outperform

every computer system by a very simple experiment.

I can show you in a minute.

So, what do you see here? A face, you might say. Totally correct.

I could also say it's just a collection of fruits and vegetables,

but you see a face.

And what's interesting is not that you do it, but how fast you do that.

Because when your brain cells are really that slow, you can only do like

20, 30, maybe 40 operations within that split second.

Computer software needs many more steps, thousands,

even millions of steps to come to the same result.

This leads us to the fundamental principle of how we think.

Because it's totally different from anything we know of in our world.

So, how would a computer approach that kind of problem?

Well computers use algorithms.

Algorithms are basically stepwise recipes telling you what to do.

So, when a computer faces a certain problem,

for instance recognize a face or solve an equation or whatsoever,

the basic principle goes like this:

You have an input, then you process that input according to the algorithm,

finally reaching an output.

Input, processing, output.

That's great.

That's great when you don't do any mistakes

because when you do a mistake at the beginning,

you're screwed at the end.

That's why computers sometimes break down and end up in a blue screen.

What a sad face, by the way, poor guy.

Computers break down. Brains do not break down.

Unless you apply some external force, or alcohol, or something like that,

but usually brains are very robust.

And that's because we think with a trick.

When an input hits our eyes,

the input is processed by the sensory cells in our eyes,

and they get actuated and actuate the neighbors in this neural network.

So, this is like a simplified model of your brain in action.

You have to agree for didactic reasons, I drastically oversimplified that model

of your personal brain.

At least I hope so.

But you still see the basic principle.

Brain cells are dumb on their own, cannot do anything much.

But if you have a lot of them, you end up with something we call

an activity pattern, an activity state of that specific neuronal network.

And this activity pattern, this is what we call a thought.

Big difference to a computer.

The brain does not distinguish between processing and output

because processing the information is the thought itself.

That's kind of tricky but maybe it's similar to an orchestra:

If you look at an orchestra from the outside, seeing all the musicians

sitting next to each other but not playing any music,

you have no idea whatsoever melody this orchestra is able to play.

Just like the brain.

When you look at the brain from outside,

you have no clue whatsoever thoughts this system is able to think.

In an orchestra, the melody emerges

when the musicians start to play together and synchronize themselves.

So, the music, the melody, is among the players.

Just like a thought in the brain is among the brain cells

when they synchronize with each other.

So, a thought is not located anywhere.

A thought is how the brain cells interact,

and how they process the information.

So, that's different to a computer

because no matter what kind of processing the computer uses,

whether it's algorithmic or a deep learning network,

or whatever fancy method we will come up with in the future,

it will always be "input, processing, output," without mistakes, hopefully.

But if you don't do any mistakes,

you just end up at the place you were programmed for.

But nowhere new.

Computers are intelligent, but intelligence is nothing special.

Intelligence means you follow the rules as fast and efficiently as possible,

but not to change rules.

No super intelligent computer will ever ever rule the world

because intelligence is not enough.

You need to be a rule-breaker, a game-changer,

you need to be crazy and creative too.

And it's the mistake in our thinking,

not the perfection, that separates us from the noncreative machines.

What do I mean by mistake?

Well, it means that we can come up with a new thought,

a new activity pattern without knowing before whether this is correct or not.

Slightly differently actuated, we get a new pattern, a new thought,

but we don't know whether this one is correct or not.

We try. We fail. We do it again.

But there's no objective criteria for a good idea.

Well, there's one thing.

When is an idea a good one?

When somebody else says, "This is a good idea,"

but this social interaction, this social feedback,

this try and error, this social practice, cannot be digitized right now.

And that's one reason why truly new ideas will stay analogue in our future.

You see that this kind of thinking gives us great advantage

when it comes to creating new ideas, and we call that special type

of thinking "concept thinking," or categorized thinking.

And instead of explaining the theoretical background

and explaining what's behind that,

I'll give you an example.

How you create new ideas:

Who thinks that this is a chair? Please raise your hand.

Alright thank you.

Who thinks that these are chairs too?

Please raise your hand, right, very well. You're quite familiar with furniture.

That's very good, yes.

And here's the task: Who think's that these are also chairs?

The longer I wait the more hands I see. Thank you. But why?

Why do you think this blue plastic ball with three stumps is a chair?

Well, this is the big difference between the computer world and the brain world.

What you see up here is what we call deep learning,

and you give a self-learning algorithms

a gazillion of images and a couple of hundred images

of chairs and then it analyzes the whole data and says with 98 per cent certainty

that a chair is an object with four legs, a seat, and a backrest.

But we don't do that; we understand

that a chair is not a special shaped object,

but something you can sit on.

And once you understood that, you see chairs everywhere.

You can create new chairs, with new designs and features.

Here's another example, how you do that basically

Computers learn.

But learning is nothing special,

because animals learn; blackbirds learn, dolphins learn,

elephants learn, computers learn, we understand.

Deep learning is great, but deep understanding is better.

Because when you learn something, you can unlearn it,

but once you understood it, you cannot de-understand it again

because understanding means

that you change the way you process information,

and since processing and output is one and the same in our brain,

we understand very fast on the spot.

As I said another example:

no computer is able to follow that problem,

but you're able to understand it within a minute.

I'm not a good illustrator at all but it should be enough.

I say that this is a flower.

If this is a flower, what is this?

A tree.

If this is a flower, and this is a tree, what could this be?

A forest, or a garden, or whatsoever.

So, you understood this, but I say that this...

is a child.

If this is a child, what could this be?

A grown-up.

If this is a child and this is a grownup, what is this?

A family, of course.

Data is the same.

Information is different,

and understanding is how you use the information to change your knowledge.

That's easy for you, but this problem is impossible for computers

to solve right now.

And you see that how powerful you are to understand things on the spot.

A couple of weeks ago, my two-year-old neighbor

walked into my apartment, looked up and said, "Oh, smoke detector."

I said, "What? What kind of parents does this little boy have?

Are they showing him hundreds of pictures of smoke detectors

and fire exits until he finally learns what a smoke detector is?

Probably not.

He might've heard the word "smoke detector" only once or twice,

but that was enough for him to understand the meaning of the whole thing.

We know from lab studies, that children are able to understand

the meaning of new stuff - of toys, of words, of animals - at first sight.

That's amazing, and you do this as well.

How long did it take you to understand the word Brexit?

Maybe you've seen it once or twice in the media, that was enough.

Once you understood it, you can do stuff with it.

When you know what a Brexit is,

what could a Swexit be? Or Fraxit? Or Itaxit?

Never seen before, but you understand that at first sight,

even more when you know what a Brexit is, what could a Bremain be or a Breturn?

(Laughter)

Never seen before, but understand it on the spot.

Remember the sad face you were seeing on the blue screen before?

This poor guy differs from this happy one by 50 per cent in it's data.

But for us, it is 100 per cent difference.

You see how powerful our way of thinking is,

but how do we make use of it to stay creative and innovative in the future?

Well...

First thing to realize, don't do it like computers.

Many people think that it is important nowadays to work harder,

faster, and more efficient to solve problems,

but that's exactly what machines can do.

Every efficient procedure will be replaced by algorithms eventually.

What cannot be replaced is inefficient thinking

integrating new ideas, giving rise to understanding of stuff.

How do we do that? Well, first we take breaks.

We sleep, we lose attention and focus and get distracted.

This seems inefficient at first sight,

but sometimes it's very effective

if you step back, and see the same things in a different context.

Because if you only dig into the data,

just rely on data or information, and never step back to take time off

to understand the whole picture of it, you'll never be able to make sense of it.

Second, when you ask people, "Where do you get a good idea?",

70 per cent answer, "Under the shower," followed by: During sports, driving a car,

vacuum cleaning the apartment, washing the dishes, see the pattern here?

Whenever we do some automated routine of boring stuff,

we seem to clear our mind and attract new ideas.

In fact, this is a great technique many creative geniuses used.

Dig into the problem, focus on the task,

get involved, and then step back.

Do something unrelated.

Not a new problem, but chillax.

In Ancient Greece, this was godified by saying,

"To be kissed by a muse,"

but you have to create a kiss-friendly atmosphere for such a muse.

And this means that you step back, that you do something unrelated

that some automated routine, sometimes boring stuff because otherwise,

it won't be possible to put the same things into a new context.

Third, escape the echo chamber.

Nowadays, it's so easy to be surrounded by convenient but non-inspiring opinions.

In fact, we don't like other opinions.

Facebook algorithm filters all the online posts that are suitable to us.

Most of our friends share the similar points of views.

We read newspapers that feature the opinions that we like.

We use media online, tv, radio, to confirm our beliefs,

but never to challenge them.

But by doing so, we create echo chambers, filter bubbles around us.

In order to spark new ideas, you should do the opposite.

Try to provoke yourself from time to time.

Read something you disagree with, have a productive argument with a friend,

try to see things from the other side.

Don't think like an algorithm.

Now try to challenge your opinions and ideas instead of confirming them.

Try to break the thinking rules instead of following them.

So, what is the next great idea that is worth spreading?

We don't know yet.

But we can be pretty sure that it will be created by brains.

Not because we are smarter, faster, or more intelligent than computers.

But the opposite.

We are slower, we're irrational, and imperfect.

That's why we understand the world instead of analyzing it,

and this is giving us the ultimate edge.

We should appreciate,

and be more proud of this because this is what makes us human.

Thank you.

(Applause)