[codetrotter]

Humans often like to compare the brain to technology.

For example, when gears were high tech there were people that drew heads with gears turning inside of the head, likening the act of thinking to the motion of gears. And I think in cartoons etc we still see this sometimes.

:D

[codetrotter]

Also relevant: “How an Algorithm Feels from Inside” (2008)

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/yA4gF5KrboK2m2Xu7/how-an-alg...

[duckmysick]

Yes, I remember those. And later, a light bulb flashing inside of the head when the character has an idea.

[TeMPOraL]

Gears did something, they stood for purposeful activity. A light bulb illuminates its surrounding, letting you see in the dark - an apt metaphor for having an idea, seeing something that previously couldn't be seen, etc. In both cases these are metaphors, not actually imagining the brain running on gears or light bulbs.

Computer analogies are different. These are direct, not metaphorical, and rightfully so, because computation is fundamental and not just a piece of technology. Computer science stands at the intersection between mathematics and physics.