Agreed! So much more is involved in reflection than just “unpack/process”. I’m not “putting away” my thoughts, nor am I “processing” them like a warehouse. Sure, one can make a metaphor for how the brain stores memories (short and long-term, and how that can be disrupted, the effects of such disruption, etc) to how a warehouse stores stock or moves it. But as with all metaphors, they are lacking in a fundamental way: they discount the humanness of thinking and memories. The process of remembering and mindfulness is less a straight line of “A follows B follows C follows D…”, and more akin to “A reminds me of F, and I feel X about that, but maybe I should think about D and how it relates to L and I can use that if I encounter G…”.
Thinking of us as machines, well, dehumanises us lol.
Agreed! So much more is involved in reflection than just “unpack/process”. I’m not “putting away” my thoughts, nor am I “processing” them like a warehouse. Sure, one can make a metaphor for how the brain stores memories (short and long-term, and how that can be disrupted, the effects of such disruption, etc) to how a warehouse stores stock or moves it. But as with all metaphors, they are lacking in a fundamental way: they discount the humanness of thinking and memories. The process of remembering and mindfulness is less a straight line of “A follows B follows C follows D…”, and more akin to “A reminds me of F, and I feel X about that, but maybe I should think about D and how it relates to L and I can use that if I encounter G…”.
Thinking of us as machines, well, dehumanises us lol.
I might do a little rummaging around to find out when that terminology first arose and who is responsible and why.
I admit manipulation of language and beliefs bother me.