The Superhuman Brain

11 posted on August 11, 2010

POSTED IN: Blog Posts, Makes You Think

I stumbled across a video documentary on YouTube called “The Boy With The Incredible Brain” that really piqued my interest. It was about a young man named Daniel Tammet with high-functioning autistic savant syndrome. Epileptic seizures he suffered at the age of four “unlocked” parts of his brain allowing him to perform amazing mental feats such as reciting pi from memory to 22,514 digits in five hours and nine minutes or learning Icelandic (one of the most difficult languages to learn) in just one week.

I was fascinated by Danial and began reading up on other Savants. The more I read the more intrigued I became with the abilities of these amazing individuals who may lack some of the most basic skills (such as tying their shoes) while being able to do such amazing things as draw an entire city from memory. I came across several documentaries on YouTube that are definitely worth checking out:

Derek Paravicini “The Musical Genius” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, 60 Minutes Segment
Daniel Tammet “The Boy With The Incredible Brain” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Kim Peek “The Real Rain Man” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
Stephen Wiltshire aka “The Human Camera”
Flo & Kay “The Rainman Twins” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Alonzo Clemons “Savant Scluptor”

It just makes me wonder, what are our amazing brains really capable of? Do we have a “governor” in our brain that prevents us from fully utilizing everything it is capable of? I can’t help but think of 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

Kinda makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Here’s a neat little graphic about some of the more famous savants and what their brains are capable of.

Do you think our brains are capable of more than we use them for? Will we ever be able to figure out how to tap into their full potential?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 10:11 am and is filed under Blog Posts, Makes You Think. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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August 11, 2010

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1 JD said:

I believe that our doubt in our possibilities and capabilities do limit us greatly — kind of like faith — God can not be limited, yet we put limits on Him — and in return, it limits us.

I love learning about this stuff… it’s amazing! I have a daughter on the autism spectrum, and while she’s not in the savant category, I love to witness the way she processes thoughts and experiences. It’s fascinating!
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August 11, 2010

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2 JamesBrett said:

that’s a lot to think about, brad. i’m just trying to remember my phone number and that my favorite food is bacon. this post made my head tired….
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August 11, 2010

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3 Brad Ruggles said:

Aw, come on! How can you forget a favorite food like bacon?
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August 15, 2010

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4 se7en | religion sucketh said:

[...] a look around and share your thoughts, and thanks again for stopping by.Some pretty cool facts on the superhuman brain.Mark Driscoll with A Pastoral Response to Anne Rice Quitting Christianity.USA Today with an article [...]
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May 31, 2011

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5 Charlie said:

This is by far the most interesting article I’ve come across on the net. These people’s stories are amazing! How lucky for them to have their minds unlocked like that. But I wonder if it can be a taxing thing as well. So interesting!