The eleventh episode of Cosmos, “The Persistence of Memory,” moves from outer space to the interior of the mind, examining the mechanics of knowledge and intelligence. Sagan opens by discussing units of information, and then shifts to a simple thought experiment: what better way to consider the possibilities of alien intelligence than by considering the intelligences in our own oceans? This leads to an exploration of whales and whale communication—and that leads to how whales know what they know, as mammals like us: genes and brains. The rest of the episode explores the intricacies of these two containers of knowledge, and finally extends the conversation into the realm of knowledge humans store outside themselves: texts, libraries, etc.
[Onward]