# The Human Brain Can Exceed Its Darwinian Design by Leonard Susskind > “I am optimistic about the adaptability of the human brain to answer questions that evolution could not have designed it for. A brain that can rewire itself to visualize 4 dimensions, or the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, is clearly going way beyond the things that natural selection could have wired it for. It makes me optimistic that we may be able to go beyond our Darwinian roots in other ways.” > **— Leonard Susskind**, *“Going Beyond Our Darwinian Roots,” Edge Annual Question, 2007* ## Sources and Context - **Original or near-original source:** [“Going Beyond Our Darwinian Roots,” Edge Annual Question, 2007](https://www.edge.org/response-detail/11360) — Susskind expresses optimism about neural adaptability; he does not specify genetic engineering or endorse a particular enhancement program here. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History|Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Human Evolution|Human Evolution]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Human Evolution|Human Evolution]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “I am optimistic about the adaptability of the human brain to answer questions that evolution could not have designed it for. A brain that can rewire itself to visualize 4 dimensions, or the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, is clearly going way beyond the things that natural selection could have wired it for. It makes me optimistic that we may be able to go beyond our Darwinian roots in other ways.” — Leonard Susskind, “Going Beyond Our Darwinian Roots,” Edge Annual Question, 2007 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-leonard-susskind-brain-exceeds-darwinian-design ```