What’s Your Brain’s Role in Creating Space & Time?
PBS Space Time・12 minutes read
Physics and brains offer different perspectives on space and time, with Kant viewing them as mental constructs and Einstein considering them tools of thought. The brain utilizes place cells and grid cells to create cognitive maps of space, suggesting that our perception of reality may involve dividing the world into discrete objects in space and time.
Insights
- Different historical perspectives on space and time exist, with Newton proposing an "Absolute" view while Kant believed they are constructs of the mind, not physically real entities.
- The brain utilizes place cells and grid cells to create cognitive maps of space, suggesting a nuanced understanding of spatial relationships and temporal sequences beyond traditional concepts, potentially challenging the fundamental nature of spacetime.
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Recent questions
How do place cells and grid cells function in the brain?
Place cells in the brain represent specific locations, while grid cells form grids of different orientations and scales. Together, they create cognitive maps of space, providing metric information with varying resolutions similar to a coordinate grid.
What is Immanuel Kant's perspective on space and time?
Immanuel Kant believed that space and time are constructs of the mind, not physically real entities. He viewed them as tools of thought created by human intelligence to relate experiences, rather than inherent properties of the external world.
How does the brain perceive time?
Time perception in the brain involves various internal clocks, such as rhythmic neuronal activity and circadian rhythms. These clocks track experienced time but are not absolute, reflecting the brain's subjective interpretation of temporal events.
What is Einstein's view on space and time?
Einstein viewed space and time as tools of thought created by human intelligence to relate experiences. He saw them as concepts that are not absolute but rather relative and dependent on the observer's frame of reference.
Why do researchers believe the brain's mechanisms for tracking time and space are important?
Researchers believe that the brain's mechanisms for tracking time and space are general algorithms for sequencing events and mapping relationships between variables. These mechanisms likely evolved for survival and navigation purposes, allowing organisms to organize memories and understand their environment effectively.
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Summary
00:00
Understanding Space, Time: Physics vs. Brain
- Physics and brains both aim to understand the structure of the world, sometimes leading to conflicting conclusions about concepts like space and time.
- Historically, there have been differing views on space and time, with Newton proposing an "Absolute" view while others, like Leibnitz and Descarte, saw them as relational concepts.
- Immanuel Kant believed space and time are constructs of the mind, not physically real entities.
- Einstein viewed space and time as tools of thought created by human intelligence to relate experiences.
- The brain uses place cells and grid cells to create cognitive maps of space, with place cells representing specific locations and grid cells forming grids of different orientations and scales.
- Grid cells provide metric information with different resolutions, creating a coordinate grid similar to Newton's absolute space.
- The brain also processes space egocentrically, relating space to oneself, and allocentrically, understanding space in relation to other objects.
- Time perception in the brain involves various internal clocks, such as rhythmic neuronal activity and circadian rhythms, which track experienced time but are not absolute.
- Place cells in the brain may track sequences of events rather than just space or time, suggesting a broader role in mapping trajectories and organizing memories.
- Researchers believe the brain's mechanisms for tracking time and space are general algorithms for sequencing events and mapping relationships between variables, likely evolving for survival and navigation purposes.
15:13
Animals perceive n-dimensional energy, challenging spacetime fundamentals.
- Animals develop systems sensitive to the n-dimensional energy soup of the world, creating their version of reality; our brain's efficient way of perceiving nature is by dividing it into discrete objects in space and time. Scientists are exploring the idea that spacetime may not be fundamental, leading to questions about the structures and processes that create external regularities represented as spacetime in our brains.
