Things humans are Incapable of learning.

I was watching a show about teaching primates sign language and it got me thinking. While that’s impressive, no matter how much we tried or or how long we tried we could never teach a chimp how to do calculus, their brains just aren’t wired that way. So it got me thinking. What could be things that we are totally oblivious to and no matter what, even if a superior alien intelligence or ai tried to teach us we still wouldn’t be able to comprehend.

Btw I’m not talking about things like seeing in infrared or hearing better or stuff like that. I’m specifically talking about things we couldn’t ever learn. I’m not talking about large math problems and doing them faster like a computer, I’m talking the equivalent of teaching a gorilla how to build a sky scraper or a nuclear power plant.

You're asking humans about this? Ask an alien. :P

I think humans differ individually a lot more than other animals. Like, I know some people always have to pause and think about where's left and where's right. Another example is musicality. Huge difference from people who can't sing for shit to people with absolute pitch. But something that no human can learn? Not sure if there's an actual limit once you reach that kind of brain development where you can build machines smarter than yourself.

I'm an idealist, I don't think there is anything we are incapable of learning. However I temper that idealism with the sad reality that essentially all of us suffer from ignorance of some kind (whether conscious or unconscious to it) and refuse to learn certain things.

My ignorance is to math, I've always struggled with the higher concepts like calculus and while it's all but unnecessary to most things outside of a classroom setting or specific jobs, I definitely recall having some sort of mental block because I got so frustrated with it 😋

I suppose that is part of the whole "duality of humankind" schtick we hear about; we are capable of so much and such wonderful things, and yet we limit ourselves often for silly reasons.

Like I said initially, I think we can learn a lot. And as you pointed out, we are limited (i.e. can't see in infrared...well, not naturally)

We can learn how a gorilla can use it's opposable toes to hang from a branch with its feet, but we can't do it ourselves.

On the flip side, I don't think a gorilla could ever learn how to build a skyscraper. It could imitate human behavior in certain ways (note to self: teach gorillas how to weld steel beams...) but I don't think they could ever grasp the big picture.

And I think that is what makes humans so unique: the ability to grasp the big picture. To know what the end goal is and the steps to take to get there.

To see a painting and say "I'd like to learn how to do that" and to then learn about color composition, to learn human anatomy in order to figure paint accurately; to learn the history of art as to absorb the knowledge of previous artists; to learn different techniques; and so on and so forth.

Not to take this to a negative place, but I often wonder just how much farther humankind would be along if we didn't impose more conservative morals on ourselves, or align ourselves with political agendas that are stagnant or regressive. Imagine a world where a few centuries of "dark ages" never occurred. Would we be living in Jettson's-style luxury?

That's why aliens need to grant us eyes.

Our learning is limited to our capacity to observe. One example of this is the Heidegger's uncertainty principle.

As per Heidegger's uncertainty principle (1927), there is a limit to accuracy with which we can measure properties such as position and momentum of certain particles. This limit is due to the limit of our capacity to observe. Only an all-seeing being can observe these characteristics that we humans cannot.

I think one thing humans can’t fathom or ever understand at least without being equipped with a microchip or something is the vastness of the universe. I think there is probably some species or creature out there that can imagine 1 billion galaxies in their heads just as we can imagine a cat or dog in our heads.

Heisenberg?

I think we’re capable of learning anything that we hold the capacity to conceptualize. Apes are incapable of grasping the broader picture of mathematical principles, so attempting to teach them something that extends far past the surface would be futile.

There are things that I’m incapable of learning. I read Newton’s works, and I’m completely lost when it gets down to the bare metal. I’d love to be able to grasp the concepts that would grant me a much greater appreciation for the underpinnings of the workings of our reality, and I’m incredibly envious of those with the intellectual fortitude to do so, they are blessed, but it is simply beyond my capacity. I often look at “lower” species, like insects, thinking how utterly oblivious they are to a grander existence beyond their scope as they go about their business, and ponder that hey…..that’s me, only a few steps up the ladder.

I’d love to hold broader horizons, to break free of the limitations imposed upon me by whatever factors impede a greater realization, but maybe that will come? Perhaps life is an evolution to a broadening scope of understanding. Where we all live over and over again until we reach divinity.

It's probably not the stuff of higher consciousness to know this but yesterday I did find out I could minimalize certain amounts of pain and discomfort just by using the power of focus ... it would have really helped to realize this while I was younger though

Civic responsibility.

Here are some things that the human brain cannot fathom:

1) The universe and its complexity

2) God and His complexity

3) Overly-complex and confusing storylines of most JRPGs

Basic human decency and compassion.

@tpz4sheezy: I heard a saying before...there are the known knowns, known unknowns and then there's the unknown unknowns.

Oh I just googled it up, apparently from the bush administration, ooff.

According to wiki, "known unknowns are risks that you're aware of, like a canceled flight. Unknown unknowns are risks that come from situations that are so unexpected that they would not be considered."

Visualizing x-manifolds above 3.

We're living in an age that calls darkness light

- Some music band