Civics and thrifty brains

In a fascinating article in the New York Times, “Do Thrifty Brains Make Better Minds?,” Andy Clark describes how recent advances in computational and cognitive neuroscience have revealed a tendency of the human brain to do something called “predictive coding”  Predictive coding is the neural equivalent of the way jpeg and mp3 files compress data to minimize their use of bandwidth by only recording changes in data, rather than every piece of data.  What this means in human cognition is that we quickly assess which sensory information fits into predicable patterns and then ignore much of the detail and focus instead on stark changes.

What does this have to do with civics, you wonder?  Well, it seems to me predictive coding is the essential challenge to civic progress in a diverse community.  We humans have a tendency to hold fixed positions and assumptions based on past experience, and due to predictive coding, we are not likely to see new information that contradicts our previously formed opinions. Which is all to say, we’re wired to stubbornly cling to our political and social prejudices.

To move our communities forward nationally or locally, we need a system of discourse and cultural habits that help us compensate for predictive coding.  We need a national culture that champions open-minded inquiry and the consideration of opposing viewpoints.  The first step toward pivoting in this direction is for media, both news and entertainment, to shine a light on heroic acts of thought.  To celebrate those who ask the tough questions of themselves, who engage in open debate and who emerge with innovative solutions.  On a personal level, we can all look across the aisle at the views of our political opposites and recognize a sincerity or truth that may be eluding us – a truth that may help us to identify a stronger position or solution if we are honest enough to listen.  

As we approach another election cycle, let us not be so thrifty with our bandwidth that we overlook what’s right in front of our eyes.

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Copyright © 2012 Daryl Rowland; available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License.