The phrase "bicycle for the mind"

[Pluvious]

The phrase "bicycle for the mind" is one of the most famous metaphors in the history of computing, coined by Steve Jobs.

It originated from an interview (and later a famous advertisement) where Jobs referenced a study conducted by Scientific American in the early 1970s. The study measured the "efficiency of locomotion" for various species—essentially, how much energy it takes to move a certain distance.

Here is the breakdown of the philosophy:

The Problem: In the study, humans ranked rather unimpressively. We were far less efficient than a horse, and the condor won the contest easily. Biologically, we aren't the most efficient movers.

The Twist: However, someone at Scientific American had the insight to test a human riding a bicycle. The efficiency skyrocketed, blowing the condor (and every other species) away.

The Metaphor: Jobs used this to explain what a computer is. Just as a bicycle is a tool that amplifies our inherent physical ability to move, a computer is a tool that amplifies our inherent intellectual ability to think. It doesn't do the thinking for us; it allows us to take our existing intellect and extend its reach far beyond our biological limits.

[RockRaven]

1. I suppose that makes most social medias a stationary bicycle for the mind.

[Hey Joe]

2. Excellent comment and an apt observation!

[Gaugamela]

3. It always seemed to me that you would have to factor in the energy needed to

construct the bicycle, and the energy needed to resource and lay the pavement that the cyclist is traveling on. And anyway, if you’re not going to factor that in, what about a person floating downriver in a canoe?

Most of our greatest writers and thinkers produced their work without computers. The idea of Plato or Shakespeare writing their works with a quill on parchment is almost unimaginable to us today. The argument could be made that the limitations of their technology caused them to increase their cognitive capacity and construct their works whole in their heads before writing them down. Homer composed within an oral tradition and recited his work. He was likely illiterate; his works were written down a couple hundred years later.

It seems to me that the bicycle for the mind mostly allows for average people to push more paper around — digitally of course — and to produce sloppier work and get by with it.