Einstein's brain

[Coolydudey]

I bet you've all read an article on how Einstein's genius was due to how his inferior parietal lobules were over-developed. (I had to say that last bit). Anyway, here's an article that performs a highly critical and detailed analysis of how his brain could have affected his intellect, and it also goes to show how careful you must be when searching through the media...

Link two posts down

 

[Fukyo]

@Coolydudey and the link?

 

[Coolydudey]

Oh sh**. http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=3032

 

[Hadoblado]

An interesting article, thankyou for sharing.

 

[snafupants]

I found the philosophical and neuroscience-informed musings on the degree to which brain means mind, as well as the etymology and cultural significance of the term genius, pretty interesting. I'm not entirely sure mapping and understanding the human genome alongside cognizing the entrancing brilliance of the brain will fully illuminate the mind-body, but the concept is intriguing. Uncovering more biological information will at least facilitate some beneficial, and perhaps exploitable, tinkerings of human essences given enough time. Overall that should be a good thing.

 

[Architect]

I will read the article.

However I'm very skeptical of statements that link gross features of the physical brain and displayed characteristics. Mainly because the programming is in the software, not so much in the hardware.

For example, did you know that intelligence is associated with larger brains, statistically? However, a larger brain doesn't mean a person is more intelligent. Correlation isn't causation (say that three times). You can beat a drum every time there is an eclipse, and I guarantee that if you do that the sun will come back.

Secondly, genius is as much a cultural phenomenon as it is an individual. I've known a few geniuses, I'm considered one by some, but I've never done anything especially noteworthy. This is because I didn't have the circumstances or opportunity for that.

I've studied Einstein a bit as I idolized him somewhat during my physics days. I think he was a genius, but actually not too bright. He needed considerable help with tensor calculus, and never wrapped his head around quantum mechanics. But he was crazy enough to consider the only solution to Michaelson-Morley would be time dilation.

Obvious in hindsight, but it would take an oddball INTP to see it at the time.

 

[Coolydudey]

The article itself is skeptical of statements that link the mind and the brain. That's what it's mainly about. Taking a critical look at how his brain could have influenced his mind.

 

[SLushhYYY]

I think the fact that one of Einstein's son was a schizophrenic is pretty substantial. That means the disease must run in the family. Schizophrenic symptoms could have potentially influenced Einstein's thought process.

 

[own8ge]

@SLushhYYY

I always presumed Einstein had a preference for Ni. Funny to hear about this schizophrenia (Which is likely to be a trait of Ni; or vice verca)

EDIT: Ofc. I mean an INTP with a Ni preference (I'm not arguing him to be a "Ni type")

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I always presumed Einstein had a preference for Ni. Funny to hear about this schizophrenia (Which is likely to be a trait of Ni; or vice verca)

EDIT: Ofc. I mean an INTP with a Ni preference (I'm not arguing him to be a "Ni type")

How do you reconcile "Ni preference" with a Ti type?

 

[snafupants]

Embodiment of pure intellect - that's an appellation only an INTP could justifiably receive.

 

[Duxwing]

How do you reconcile "Ni preference" with a Ti type?

Solving the problem via both the higher (Ti) and lower (Ni) functions simultaneously may provide an advantage much like that of a second-degree lever, (exemplified by car-jacks and wheel-barrows) which sacrifices number of trials for effectiveness. Since Ni can perform many dozens of trials at once, it could conceivably act as a massively parallel computer, which, through what can be likened to an evolutionary sorting function, produces results far more exquisite than those of cognition alone.

Then, once provided with these exquisite results (a.k.a., insights) cognition works out the minor kinks and adjusts assumptions and sends the data back to Ni for further processing, thereby forming a feedback loop, much like Kirk telling Scotty to make Enterprise go faster or slower: Kirk can't operate the engines and Scotty can't lead, but together they can escape the Klingons! Cognition cannot work fast enough to figure things out, but intuition can, and cognition can lead it to the solution.

Alternatively think of it like sanding a piece of wood: you don't think "press harder," instead you think "smoother" and your body carries out your command. Much in the same way, but introvertedly, Ti and Ni can sculpt an elegant theory from a few assumptions and a whole lot of nothingness.

-Duxwing

 

[Niclmaki]

I couldn't help but keep thinking "ew" while reading this article.

 

[Words]

Joining the discussion of Einstein's type...

Both Diamond and Witelson concluded that the parietal lobes of Einstein’s brain (parts of the cerebrum primarily concerned with processing sensory information and with spatial orientation) were anatomically unique.

I'm by no means even slightly knowledgeable about neuroscience or the structure of the brain, but this focus on a specific part of the brain reminded of Dario Nardi's attempt of linking such parts to cognitive functions.

P3 Tactical Navigator: Integrate physical space, motion, and visual clues to move skillfully through the environment.
P4 Strategic Gamer: Weigh many pros and cons, risks and uncertainties at once in order to finesse complex situations.

P3 is the left parietal lobe whereas P4 is the right Parietal lobe.

Ti types:
Show high use of four regions that afford complex logical reasoning: F3, F4, P3, P4

Use P3 to integrate visual-kinesthetic data. (highest for ISTPs then ENTPs)

Use P4 to holistically weigh numerous pros and cons of many uncertain or risky factors. (highest for ENTPs followed by ISTPs)

A developed parietal lobe would mean a highly practiced, developed Ti. A high emphasis on Ti would mean a preference for Ti. From this basis alone, Einstein would likely be either an ISTP or an ENTP.


Something unrelated but...

Use F4 to categorize and define concepts. (highest for INTPs, followed by ESTPs)

This is very accurate for me, especially recently: Mere Semantics. I definitely think I'm a "frontal lobe person", it even mentions the linking of concepts which coheres with my kind of diagramming.

How do you reconcile "Ni preference" with a Ti type?

Ti can be so deconstructive that it criticizes the very foundation of any system or framework. This explains the preference for nihilism. This tendency for great doubt or critical thought makes it not improbable for a Ti type to appear radical in the manner similar to what is often associated with Ni, especially when the Ti type starts building hir own framework from scratch. This reminds me of Descartes(most obvious INTP imo) and what he introduced as his method of questioning and arguing against every axiom to find something that cannot be argued against, which, of course, led him to "think therefore am."

There are some examples of what I consider as Ti-dom types with "Ni preference" in this forum. One of them is nil. Except I don't think his starting point would get anywhere.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

Interesting correlation, about Einstein(I see NeTi more than TiNe). For myself, I wish Nardi was able to get data on A1 and A2.


What I meant about reconcile "'Ni preference' with a Ti type" was that the statement was self-contradicting. To cognitively prefer Ni is to be dominant in it, which would make it an Ni type which goes against being a Ti type.

 

[Ink]

I was just about to make a thread about this linking to the einsteins brain wiki article, cool it is here already. So does anyone have an idea of how/when the different parts of the brain develops? I remember reading Autism (which one could somewhat link to the NT temperament I guess) is an extremely masculinized brain caused by high testosterone levels edit: or vice versa http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2009/10/8199/estrogen-plays-key-role-male-brain-development (during the time the brain goes through that specific developmental cycle in the fetus I guess?).