critical minds want to know the answer to this question

  • polonius-rex@kbin.run
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    5 months ago

    A single human brain is finite, but the possible configurations of neurons across any possible hypothetical brain is decidedly infinite.

    • jeff 👨‍💻@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      5 months ago

      I’m no mathematician, but I don’t think that’s how it works. A quick Google says there are 100 billion neurons. So you would have 100000000000! possible combinations, unfathomably large, but finite. Granted, a human brain is more complex than the configuration of neurons, but I don’t know how it becomes infinite.

      I’m also way past the point of overthinking this.

      • polonius-rex@kbin.run
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        edit-2
        5 months ago

        yeah, but the relative positions and relative lengths and relative widths and relative densities and relative conductivities of those neurons are real numbers

        • jeff 👨‍💻@programming.dev
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          5 months ago

          Now we are getting into the quantum physics question of if the universe is discrete or continuous. Which seems to be unsolved.

          So I guess that’s my answer. If the universe is discrete then there are finite genders, and if it’s continuous then there could be infinite genders.

          • knokelmaat@beehaw.org
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            5 months ago

            I fucking love where this went, as I was thinking the exact same responses while reading this thread! Love it when a question about gender results in fundamental ideas surrounding mathematics and the nature of reality.

          • polonius-rex@kbin.run
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            5 months ago

            so at the very least, the lower bound is the natural numbers, or a countably infinite number