Why do humans excel at meaning-making while AI struggles? The answer lies in how our brains evolved to survive through story, not just stimulus.
Dr. Michael Gazzaniga's split-brain research revealed what he calls the "interpreter" in our left hemisphere⁹²—a neural system constantly creating explanations for our experiences, even when those explanations are objectively wrong. This isn't a bug—it's a feature. Coherent narrative, even if partially fictional, helps us navigate complexity better than perfect but meaningless data.
Recent neuroscience identifies key brain networks involved in meaning-making:
The Default Mode Network: When we're not focused on specific tasks, this network activates, connecting past experiences with future possibilities, weaving the narrative of self⁹³.
The Salience Network: Determines what information matters, filtering infinite inputs through the lens of personal relevance and values⁹⁴.
The Semantic Memory System: Stores not just facts but their relationships and significance, creating webs of meaning that give context to experience⁹⁵.
These systems work together to create something AI cannot: the felt sense that life matters, that events connect, that suffering serves purpose, that existence has significance.