The Physical Limits of the Mind

clipped from humanknowledge.net Physical Limits Bremermann's Limit is the maximum processing speed (2´1047 bits per second per gram) of a self-contained material system. Bremermann's Limit derives from the Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and Einstein's principle of mass-energy equivalency. The finite age and mass of the universe combine with Bremermann's Limit to constrain the amount of thinking that any material mind can have done. The Bekenstein Bound is the physical limit of information density. Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle implies that no mind can completely know the momentum of a particle at a particular position in space, or the energy of a particle at a particular moment in time. The finiteness of the speed of light limits how big and nimble a material mind can be, as well as how far it can sense or influence circumstances. The laws of thermodynamics require that no material mind in a closed system can create energy, decrease entropy, or indefinitely sustain a given level of operation.