Know Thyself

In Greece, over the entrance to the temple Delphi is carved a simple phrase: Know thyself. Despite the massive advancements humanity has made since the days of ancient Greece, this phrase rings just as true today as then. It did, and still does, represent the highest achievement of wisdom. Regardless of profession, an understanding of the self is essential to a fulfilled life. For scientists, this means understanding how the brain works. Linguists in particular should understand both that the basis of human language can be found in the inner workings of the brain and that there are more methods of conveying ideas than through word. The brain is in a constant state of activity, whether that be through interpreting various stimuli, determining how to respond emotionally to an event or absorbing new information; through these processes the brain is able to create the world we interact with.
Figure [ 1 ]: A cross section of the brain, notice a distinct lack of pretty pictures on the gray matter. Psychology is not a hard science, definite measurements cannot be made. As such, exploring the mechanics of the brain can seem like a nearly impossible science especially to an outsider. While we can observe other aspects of the body it has been impossible until fairly recently to observe the processes of the brain. You can observe the movements of my tongue and mouth to see how I form words but you cannot cut open my skull and watch as my thoughts play like a movie across my grey matter. Yet, we know that thought occurs because each one of us experiences