Why Neurons...

When you decide to spend a large part of your life studying something small, you at least have to go ahead and rationalize it to yourself. Here is why I think little neurons (of all things) are especially interesting!

Practicalities:

An important challenge for people and technology in the 21st century will be managing and integrating an exploding number of disparate information systems, most likely via protocols that abstract over data types and algorithms. Critical insights into how to do this can probably be found in biology, by studying how brain systems do elements of such information abstraction inherently, and thus accomplish seamless communication, consolidation and truth distillation.

Aesthetics:

Among the most amazing occurrence in the natural world is the representation of it by biological tissue. Like film exposed to light, undifferentiated neurons arrange into patterned switchboards to delicately emulate symbolic relationships between physical objects, ideas, and people. A purposeful imprecision in these connections affords an artistic interpretation more rich in content and meaning than the original subject, and the brain's more intricately connectable substrate provides the realization of associations that could never be observed in real life. Discovering how biology can act as both artist and analyst is an aesthetically satisfying endeavor.

Philosophical:

Every morning eyes snap open and our neural circuits are imbued with patterned electricity. The system struggles to dissipate the information, making minor adjustments to a synapse here or there to provide for smooth interpretation and perpetuated behavior in the context of past history. An aristocracy of established subcircuits bias the interpretation to their own benefit, yet occasionally a fact so stark and globally incongruous presents itself that it cannot be rationalized or conformed to the existing frame - an electrical battle erupts and a worldview shatters - everything about the synaptic foundation suddenly called into question - and in its place begins the formation of a structure based slightly more on truth. The abstraction of the rules governing the network refinement that builds and destroys frames would yield a philosophically satisfying treasure with practical applications in other domains.

Timing:

We are fortunate to work in a time when many have come to appreciate and share in the belief that there is something special in the neurons. Some people even think that the tools are at hand to begin "solving the neuron." I figure that no matter what we find, "the truth will set us free," and maybe even tell us something interesting about ourselves!