A Thousand Brains by Jeff Hawkins Summary
Overview of A Thousand Brains
Jeff Hawkins, Palm Computing founder turned neuroscientist, revolutionizes our understanding of intelligence with his "Thousand Brains Theory." What if our brains build thousands of world models instead of one hierarchical system? This groundbreaking 2021 work could transform AI by mimicking our brain's true architecture.
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The Thousand Brains: A Revolutionary Theory of Intelligence
Imagine holding a coffee cup. Your fingers feel the smooth ceramic, your eyes track its contours, and without conscious thought, you know exactly how to lift it. This seemingly simple act reveals something profound about our brains-they're not just processing information; they're predicting, modeling, and navigating reality through thousands of parallel systems. This is the heart of Jeff Hawkins' groundbreaking "Thousand Brains Theory," a framework that could transform our understanding of intelligence itself. After fifteen years of research, Hawkins experienced his eureka moment in 2016: the neocortex-that wrinkled outer layer comprising 70% of the human brain-doesn't create just one model of the world but thousands simultaneously. Each of the brain's 150,000 cortical columns functions as a semi-independent learning system, with 100,000 neurons forming roughly 500 million connections, all compressed into the volume of a grain of rice. Together, they create the most sophisticated intelligence system known in the universe.
Maps in the Mind: How We Navigate Reality
Thinking as Movement: The Dance of Intelligence
The Voting Mechanism: How Thousands Become One
Why Today's AI Isn't Truly Intelligent
The Consciousness Question: Will Machines Think Like Us?
Our Cosmic Legacy: Preserving Intelligence Beyond Humanity
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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