Brain initiative: Decade of the mind

"We have a chance to improve the lives of not just millions, but billions of people on this planet through the research that's done in this BRAIN Initiative alone. But it's going to require a serious effort, a sustained effort. And it's going to require us as a country to embody and embrace that spirit of discovery that made America, America."

- President Obama on April 2, 2013

From the time of the discovery of the laws of physics, humans have progressed through remarkable stages of achievement; some for the good of Mankind, some others: I wonder.

The development of the atomic bomb; voyage to the moon, through the human genome project; mankind, because of their brain and more so because of the ability of some to use it in ways that lays claim to our superior status amongst all other life forms on earth, have presently arrived at, what I call, the Decade of the Mind.

This, in spite of the fact that many in this resplendent land called Lanka still remain in the wilderness of the dark ages, with inability to use the most cherished part of their anatomy: the brain.

Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies, also known as Brain Initiative, is a bold, new initiative focused on revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain.

This activity is a Grand Challenge - ambitious but achievable goals that require advances in science and technology. Inspired by the Human Genome Project, BRAIN aims to help researchers uncover the mysteries of the brain.

The human brain is the most complicated biological structure in this so far known universe of ours.

Humans have only just scratched the surface in understanding how it works; or, unfortunately very often, does not quite work because of the impotence of some humans lacking required knowledge in its use.

This initiative will accelerate the development and application of new technologies.

Discoveries

These technologies will open new doors to explore how the brain, records, processes, uses, stores, and retrieves vast quantities of information, at the speed of thought, and shed light on the complex links between brain function and behavior.

The spirit of discovery is what might have made America, America; but the absence of that spirit is, definitely what makes Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka - at least in present times. In this day and times, the only discoveries we make are all about our politicians, their peculiarities, their profanities. If, per chance, we in Sri Lanka do enable an initiative such as the brain initiative: let us say to shed light on the complex links between brain function and behavior of politicians; imagine what a discovery it would be.

Perhaps, for the Sri Lankans, the benefits, if nothing else, will far exceed that of the BRAIN initiative in that, it will help future generations in Sri Lanka to prevent plunder and loot, robbery and ravage, wastage and devastation of public property: the common wealth of our people; and the machinations of politicians to remain in power.

However, the BRAIN initiative initiated in America is, a journey of twelve years, costing over 4.5 billion USD that will eventually help humans live a healthier longer life and understand that part of their anatomy they least understand.

The cost of the project being colossal, as would its benefits, there is no way that Sri Lanka could embark on such an initiative even in her wildest dreams. We are currently begging our way around for as little as a few millions of dollars in order that, more funds will be available for the usual plunder and loot - the national pastime of our politicians.

Dance

Given the fact that those that seek these handouts are willing to dance to the tune of all and sundry donors will in effect enable them to succeed in their efforts since the handouts are not much - akin to what a trained monkey is, fed after it exhibits its antics to an unsuspecting and gullible crowd of mindless minds. As such, it would be foolish on our part, at least on the part of those that think and are not mindless minds but minds that matter, to think we can create such an initiative any time in the near future through which our politics and politicians will undergo a transformation.

This of course was not the state of affairs in the Sri Lanka of yore. Older than traditions and customs, older than history, older than legend, and perhaps as old as time itself, she is an ancient land that wore with grace, like a shining green star set in a globe of blue, the beauty of cosmic creation. Her history is nothing but a series of stories that trace and chronicle a bygone era that mingles with myths. In that time, from time before myths and legends, every man in this land lived with a warm heart, a kinder word for another; shared happiness lingering upon past emotions and bygone times, and remembered those he cared for at a distance and had known that they too delighted to remember him.

Experiences

Stretched by such happy experiences of their life, their brain turned into beautiful minds. Thus, they knew how to unlock the locks of their minds. They were superior men conversant with righteousness; not the type of men we see today: mean men conversant with gain. Hence, let it be written in our hearts and our memories forever that, men such as they, lived in this land called Lanka; and some of us anyway, descend from such men. Since these men lived in a wonderful land that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure; and since their minds and the cosmos was in tune; their every area of thought was, tested by reflection, subject to correction by the counterarguments of others, modified by the imagination and by comparison with alternatives.

Therefore, their dreams took life to become the many wonders of this land we see today and wonder how it was possible.

By the year 2045, the expectation is that computers will exceed human intelligence; though I dare say it has already exceeded that of our politicians.

That event, known as technological singularity, will enable a computer, computer network, or robot, to theoretically be capable of recursive self-improvement, meaning redesigning itself by learning from experience as humans do; and thus, design and build computers or robots better than itself. Repetitions of this cycle would likely result in a runaway effect - an intelligence explosion - where smart machines design successive generations of increasingly powerful machines, creating intelligence far exceeding human intellectual capacity and control. Because the capabilities of such super-intelligence may be impossible for a human being to comprehend, the technological singularity is the point beyond which events may become unpredictable or even unfathomable to human intelligence. Thus, the progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race, will lead to a point beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue.

Intelligence

Personally, I welcome that point in time, if for nothing more, simply because it will rid the world of the scourge of politics and politicians, as we know them now: men and women limited by the basic intelligence of their brain; but expanded by their unintelligent greed. When the superhuman intelligence is invented - either through the amplification of human intelligence or through artificial intelligence - it might be able to bring to bear greater problem-solving and inventive skills than current humans are capable of, potentially allowing enormous qualitative change before any upper limits imposed by the laws of physics or theoretical computation sets in.

My only problem is, my current mind lacks the capacity to see the occupation in which the limited minds of our politicians will be engaged in at that time. My instinct says that it might be as garbage collectors, which is what their greed collects today; but there again, even that occupation might be, taken up by Robots possessing superior intelligence. Unless, of course, the BRAIN initiative finds a solution to transform their minds before that.

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