The Forgetting Machine

Memory, Perception, and the "Jennifer Aniston Neuron"

By: Rodrigo Quian Quiroga

Narrated by: Dan Woren

Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

If we lose our memories, are we still ourselves? Is identity merely a collection of electrical impulses? What separates us from animals, or from computers?

From Plato to Westworld, these questions have fascinated and befuddled philosophers, artists, and scientists for centuries. In The Forgetting Machine, neuroscientist Rodrigo Quiroga explains how the mechanics of memory illuminates these discussions, with implications for everything from understanding Alzheimer's disease to the technology of artificial intelligence.

You'll also learn about the research behind what Quiroga coined "Jennifer Aniston neurons" - cells in the human brain that are responsible for representing specific concepts, such as recognizing a certain celebrity's face. The discovery of these neurons opens new windows into the workings of human memory.

In this accessible, fascinating look at the science of remembering, you'll learn how we turn perceptions into memories, how language shapes our experiences, and the crucial role forgetting plays in human recollection. You'll see how electricity, chemistry, and abstraction combine to form something more than the human brain - the human mind. And you'll gain surprising insight into what our brains can tell us about who we are.

The Forgetting Machine takes us on a journey through science and science fiction, philosophy, and identity, using what we know about how we remember (and forget) to explore the very roots of what makes us human.

©2017 Rodrigo Quian Quiroga (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Our Brain: A Fascinating Mix of Complexity and Simplification

While Quiroga often overwhelms with detailed descriptions of the mechanics of the Brain, the operations of its billion neurons and the actions of the axons, dendrites and the synapses that connect them, he ultimately argues that the function of the whole mechanism is to distill the cascade of sensory input into an essence called Understanding.

His hypothesis of a Concept Neuron, which he only really lays out in the last two chapters is a powerful launching point for a beautiful theory of the way the Brain has evolved to allow us to make sense of the barrage of data we see, hear, smell and feel. A wonderful exercise in simplification and knowledge through subtraction. I hope future research will bear out his approach. Four Stars.

Great explanation on how human memory works

Really enjoyed this book as an excellent explanation of how memory works and doesn't work at times.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget

This is a well-reasoned and we’ll-documented argument. Right or wrong, I don’t know, but the information is presented with scientific authority while remaining highly accessible, often relying on cultural literacy, memories of movies and music and Jennifer Aniston. An excellent resource.

I wish that I was smarter

I enjoyed the book and I think that the author did his best to make complex topics as simple as possible. unfortunately, he lost me with some explanations. I is a good read and very informative.

So informative!

Loved this book so much! Gave so much helpful information and helped me understand why we forget things.

Very interactive

This is my first non fiction listen on audible. I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed the subject. I found myself using my own memory, vision, etc to prove what the author was explaining. Very thought provoking.

Excelente

Una obra muy valiosa para los que estan interesados en aprender a aprender... A very valuable work for those who are interested in learning to learn ...

Why the mind is nothing like a computer

A superb book. Clear, accessible and interesting without being dumbed down. Complemented by excellent narration.
You'll learn something new and be entertained and impressed. The writing is elegant, succinct and well organized. I haven't come across a book where historical quotations have been so appropriate and helpful.

You are what your memory tells you

Yes, good listen. I can't remember anything from that book because I'm limited to how much my brain can store..... If you read or listened to this book you get it, you get it.

Incredible

Inspirational & brilliant. Insightful & far-reaching. This book is a must-read for those interested in the inner-workings of the mind!