The challenge is that simplifications effective for one class of problems can be less so for others. Model the planets as solid balls and you can work out their trajectories with ease and precision. Model your head as a solid ball and the insights into the nature of mind will be less enlightening. But to jettison unproductive approximations and lay bare the inner workings of a system containing as many particles as the brain—a laudable goal—would require mastering a level of complexity fantastically beyond the reach of today’s most sophisticated mathematical and computational methods.
