# We Barely Understand Our Own Minds by John McCarthy > "We understand human mental processes only slightly better than a fish understands swimming." > **— John McCarthy**, *The Little Thoughts of Thinking Machines (1983)* Verification Status: Unverified — exact wording/source has not yet been independently confirmed against a primary source; source clue: The Little Thoughts of Thinking Machines (1983). ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Neurotech|Neurotech]] - **Article:** [[articles/Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta|Mind Uploading and AI — The Host is Reusable and the Person is the Delta]] - **Article:** [[articles/Escape Hatch in the Skull|Escape Hatch in the Skull]] - **Article:** [[articles/Science of Digital Consciousness|Science of Digital Consciousness]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Consciousness Mapping and Transfer|Consciousness Mapping and Transfer]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Consciousness|Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Consciousness Indicators|Consciousness Indicators]] - [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Hard Problem of Consciousness|Hard Problem of Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Digital Minds|Digital Minds]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "We understand human mental processes only slightly better than a fish understands swimming." — John McCarthy, The Little Thoughts of Thinking Machines (1983) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-john-mccarthy-barely-understand-human-minds ```