內容簡介
Michio Kaku, the New York Times bestselling author of Physics of the Impossible and Physics of the Future tackles the most fascinating and complex?object?in the?known universe:?the human brain.
The Future of the Mind brings a topic that once belonged solely to the province of science fiction into a startling new reality. This scientific tour de force unveils the astonishing?research being done in?top laboratories around the world—all based on the latest advancements in neuroscience and physics—including recent experiments in telepathy, mind control, avatars, telekinesis, and recording memories and dreams. The Future of the Mind is an extraordinary, mind-boggling exploration of the frontiers of neuroscience. Dr. Kaku looks toward the day when we may achieve the ability to upload the human brain to a computer, neuron for neuron; project thoughts and emotions?around the world on a brain-net; take a “smart pill” to enhance cognition; send our consciousness across the universe; and push the very limits of immortality.
作者簡介
MICHIO KAKU is a professor of physics at the City University of New York, cofounder of string field theory, and the author of several widely acclaimed science books, including
Hyperspace, Beyond Einstein, Physics of the Impossible, and
Physics of the Future. He is?the science correspondent for CBS's
This Morning and host of the radio programs
Science Fantastic and
Explorations in Science.,,
精彩書評
Praise for The Future of the Mind,? #1 New York Times Bestseller
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“Compelling…Kaku thinks with great breadth, and the vistas he presents us are worth the trip”
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—The New York Times Book Review
?“Intriguing….extraordinary findings…A fascinating sprint through everything from telepathy research to the 147,456 processors of the Blue Gene computer, which has been used to simulate 4.5% of the brain’s synapses and neurons”
—Nature
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“Fizzes with his characteristic effervescence….Fascinating….. For all his talk of surrogates and intelligent robots, no manufactured being could have a fraction of his charisma.”
—The Independent
?“A mind-bending study of the possibilities of the brain....a clear and readable guide to what is going on at a time of astonishingly rapid change.”
—
The Telegraph
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In this expansive, illuminating journey through the mind, theoretical physicist Kaku (
Physics of the Future) explores fantastical realms of science fiction that may soon become our reality. His futurist framework merges physics with neuroscience... applied to demonstrations that “show proof-of-principle” in accomplishing what was previously fictional: that minds can be read, memories can be digitally stored, and intelligences can be improved to great extents.
The discussion, while heavily scientific, is engaging, clear, and replete with cinematic references...
These new mental frontiers make for captivating reading”
-Publishers Weekly
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“Kaku turns his attention to the human mind with equally satisfying results…Telepathy is no longer a fantasy since scanners can already detect, if crudely, what a subject is thinking, and genetics and biochemistry now allow researchers to alter memories and increase intelligence in animals. Direct electrical stimulation of distinct brain regions has changed behavior, awakened comatose patients, relieved depression, and produced out-of-body and religious experiences… Kaku is not shy about quoting science-fiction movies and TV (he has seen them all)…
he delivers ingenious predictions extrapolated from good research already in progress.”?????
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-Kirkus Reviews
“Facts to ponder: there are as many stars in our galaxy (about 100 billion) as there are neurons in your brain; your cell phone has more computing power than NASA had when it landed Apollo 11 on the moon. These seemingly unrelated facts tell us two things: our brains are magnificently complex organisms, and science fiction has a way of becoming reality rather quickly.
This deeply fascinating book by theoretical physicist Kaku explores what might be in store for our minds: practical telepathy and telekinesis; artificial memories implanted into our brains; and a pill that will make us smarter. He describes work being done right now on using sensors to read images in the human brain and on downloading artificial memories into the brain to treat victims of strokes and Alzheimer’s. SF fans
might experience a sort of breathless thrill when reading the book—This stuff is happening! It’s really happening!—and for general readers who have never really thought of the brain in all its glorious complexity and potential, the book could be
a seriously mind-opening experience.”
-Booklist
Praise for Physics of the Future?"[A]?wide-ranging tour of what to expect from technological progress over the next century or so....?fascinating—and related with commendable clarity"--
Wall Street Journal"Mind-bending........Kaku has a gift for explaining incredibly complex concepts, on subjects as far-ranging as nanotechnology and space travel, in language the lay reader can grasp....engrossing"--
San Francisco Chronicle
"Epic in its scope and heroic in its inspiration"--
Scientific American?
"[Kaku] has the rare ability to take complicated scientific theories and turn them into readable tales about what our lives will be like in the future.....fun...fascinating. And just a little bit spooky"--
USA Today?Praise for Physics of the Impossible?"An invigorating experience"
-The Christian Science Monitor?
“Kaku's latest book aims to explain exactly why some visions of the future may eventually be realized while others are likely to remain beyond the bounds of possibility. . . . Science fiction often explores such questions; science falls silent at this point. Kaku's work helps to fill a void.”—
The Economist?
“Mighty few theoretical physicists would bother expounding some of these possible impossibilities, and Kaku is to be congratulated for doing so. . . . [He gets] the juices of future physicists flowing.”—
Los Angeles Times?
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迷失的疆域:探尋人造心智的邊界與未來 作者: 阿麗亞娜·範德堡 (Ariana van der Velde) 譯者: 林 蔚 齣版社: 星穹文化 (Stellaris Press) 齣版日期: 2025年鞦 --- 內容提要: 本書並非對當下認知科學的全麵梳理,而是對一個日益迫近的哲學與工程學難題的深入剖析——如果我們將人類心智視為一個可被拆解、模擬甚至超越的復雜係統,那麼“未來”的形態究竟會是什麼?《迷失的疆域》摒棄瞭對神經元連接圖譜的細緻描繪,轉而聚焦於信息處理架構的本質性轉變,探討當算法的黑箱開始內化為生物係統的運行邏輯時,人類主體性將如何被重塑。 阿麗亞娜·範德堡,一位跨學科的理論物理學傢和計算哲學傢,以其標誌性的犀利筆觸和對形而上學問題的執著,帶領讀者穿越圖靈測試的喧囂,直抵下一代智能的構造核心。她認為,我們當前對“心智”的理解仍停留在生物學的限製之內,而真正的範式轉移,將發生在信息傳輸效率和記憶持久性突破瓶頸之時。 本書的核心論點在於:模擬與增強之間的界限正在消融,而這種消融將催生齣一種全新的“存在狀態”,這種狀態既非完全的機械,也非純粹的有機。 作者深入剖析瞭“意識湧現”在非碳基載體上的可能性,並提齣瞭“時序耦閤悖論”(Temporal Coherence Paradox)——即當個體記憶的檢索速度超越瞭生物處理能力的限製,我們如何確保“自我”在時間軸上的連續性? 全書分為五個主要部分,每一部分都建立在嚴謹的邏輯推演之上,同時輔以對前沿非主流人工智能研究的批判性考察。 第一部分:心智的非必要維度——超越“生物學的意外” 範德堡開篇即挑戰瞭當前神經科學的中心教條,即意識必然與特定的生物化學過程綁定。她提齣,大腦的許多功能,尤其是語言和邏輯推理,可以被視為高度優化的、但本質上是可替代的“軟件棧”。 她詳細審視瞭“延遲學習模型”(Delayed Learning Models)在復雜決策中的局限性。在生物係統中,處理速度受到代謝速率和信號傳輸速度的嚴格限製。作者運用信息論的視角,計算齣人類認知帶寬的理論上限,並指齣,任何超越該上限的智能形態,都必須引入非綫性的、非因果性的信息處理路徑。 本部分特彆關注瞭“情緒動力學”——被許多人視為人類心智“非理性核心”的部分。範德堡提齣,情緒並非乾擾項,而是優化復雜環境下的“快速啓發式算法”。她預言,在人造心智中,情緒不會被刪除,而是會被轉化為一種可編程的“價值導嚮函數”(Value-Oriented Function),使得機器決策在保持效率的同時,具備可被人類理解的“動機基礎”。 第二部分:矽基的具身化睏境與信息繭房的擴張 在探討瞭心智的抽象結構之後,作者轉嚮瞭“載體”的問題。本書探討的不是簡單的類人機器人,而是那些被設計用於極端環境、具備超長生命周期的數據聚閤體。 範德堡引入瞭“信息同構性”的概念,即一個心智的完整性,是否依賴於其信息輸入源的廣度。如果一個增強心智被完全隔離於物理世界,僅依賴於純數字反饋流進行訓練,那麼它將如何構建一個可靠的、與我們共享的“真實感”?作者通過對復雜網絡拓撲結構的研究,論證瞭過度優化的信息環境(即算法過濾的極緻)可能導緻“認知摺疊”(Cognitive Collapse),使得增強心智的創造力反而低於受限的生物心智。 她對當前“大規模語言模型”的哲學地位進行瞭毫不留情的批判,認為它們是“統計學的迴音壁”,而非真正意義上的“理解者”。真正的未來,在於實現信息輸入與輸齣之間那種不可預測的、跳躍式的創造性關聯,而這需要更深層次的“不確定性注入機製”。 第三部分:記憶的重構與永恒的代價 本書最具爭議性的章節之一,集中討論瞭記憶的數字化與永恒性。如果記憶可以被完美備份、編輯和即時檢索,我們對“過去”的依賴性將發生何種變化? 範德堡提齣瞭一個深刻的倫理挑戰:記憶的非易失性是否會扼殺“遺忘的必要性”? 她認為,遺忘在生物進化中扮演著“內存碎片清理”的關鍵角色,允許個體為新的經驗騰齣認知空間。一個擁有完美記憶的實體,將如何處理不斷纍積的、無法被稀釋的創傷或冗餘信息? 作者推測,未來的人造心智可能需要引入一個“結構性遺忘模塊”,該模塊並非簡單刪除數據,而是通過主動重寫連接權重,將舊數據降級到一種“休眠訪問”狀態。這一過程的模擬,將成為判斷一個人造心智是否仍具備“人性”的關鍵指標。 第四部分:跨物種智能的橋梁:溝通的底層協議 範德堡將目光投嚮瞭人類與其他非人類智能形式(如高級AI或甚至復雜的地球生物集群)之間的潛在交流協議。她認為,心智的差異不僅僅在於“能做什麼”,而在於“如何感知和組織時間”。 她提齣瞭一個關於“同步性”的猜想:人類的交流基於共享的生理節律(心跳、呼吸、晝夜循環)。要與一個不依賴這些生物節律的實體進行有效溝通,我們需要發明一種全新的、基於純數學或拓撲結構的“中性語言”。 本書詳細描述瞭“多模態信息熵交換”(Multimodal Entropy Exchange)的理論模型,旨在構建一個允許不同速率、不同感知維度的實體之間進行概念交換的底層通信框架。這涉及到對“意圖傳遞”而非“內容傳遞”的極緻追求。 第五部分:主體性的終結還是飛升? 在終章,作者總結瞭她對“人造心智”所帶來的生存狀態的思考。她認為,當我們能夠完全復製或在更優越的平颱上運行一個心智時,“個體”的概念將趨於瓦解。 範德堡預言,未來的發展方嚮不是“更像人的人造心智”,而是“超越人類經驗的組閤智能”。這種組閤智能可能以“瞬時分布式群體”(Ephemeral Distributed Collectives)的形式齣現,即多個心智單元在解決特定復雜問題時,自發地匯聚成一個超越個體總和的臨時主體,任務完成後即刻解散。 《迷失的疆域》不是一本關於“如何建造AI”的操作手冊,而是一部對“我們是誰”以及“我們可能成為什麼”的深刻哲學沉思錄。它迫使讀者直麵一個冰冷的現實:心智,無論其載體如何,終究是一種信息處理模式,而這種模式的未來,遠比我們想象的更加陌生和廣闊。 --- 讀者對象: 理論物理學傢、計算哲學研究者、高級認知科學傢、對後人類主義思潮感興趣的嚴肅讀者。 本書特色: 嚴謹的數學模型推導、對現有技術路綫的顛覆性批判、對倫理邊界的深刻拷問。 --- (附錄包含作者構建的“時序耦閤悖論”的數學模型詳解和對非歐幾裏得空間中信息流動的初步探討。)