Correction: humans *are* overzealous pattern-matching engines.

jlgreco · on Oct 3, 2012

Eh, we have other things as well. Meat for one. ;)

Maybe you could say that we are meaty pattern matching engines.

jrajav · on Oct 3, 2012

Who said computers couldn't be made out of meat?

js2 · on Oct 4, 2012

How could you make that comment and not link to http://www.terrybisson.com/page6/page6.html

shangaslammi · on Oct 4, 2012

jlgreco · on Oct 3, 2012

I'd say we are proof that they can be. ;)

Saying that humans are pattern matching engines seems equivalent to saying VW Bugs are internal combustion engines to me though.

JonnieCache · on Oct 4, 2012

I meant the "essence" of humanity, as in "what separates us from the animals."

That is what it means to be uniquely human: to match patterns, overzealously.

technolem · on Oct 4, 2012

Most animals are pattern matchers. Overzealous ones at that. Our specialty is abstraction and formal logic.