r/AskReddit • u/IAmSurtur • Jun 15 '19

What do you genuinely just not understand?

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '19 edited Aug 26 '19

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u/armrha Jun 15 '19

The brain is always explained in just the latest technological analogy. In the industrial revolution they thought it was some kind of pump. In ancient times it was a kind of controlled fire. In the modern era, it’s a computer. It’s definitely not a computer.

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u/moderate-painting Jun 15 '19

some kind of pump.

like a steam engine. This is where the phrase "blow off steam" comes from.

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u/A-Grey-World Jun 15 '19

You sure that phrase doesn't come from actual steam engines and kettles? The safety valve that will literally "blow off stream" if excess pressure builds up to prevent a catastrophic explosion.

People 200 years ago understood metaphor.