This was brought up in the "Death" thread, so I thought it would be mighty interesting to talk about it here.

I often hear people repeat the motto that thoughts cannot be physically measured. Doctors can clearly analyze the chemical reactions in your brain, but we cannot (as of present science) quanitify an emotion or thought. Now what is the truth to this statement?

I don't personally think it holds up. Emotions are interpretations of the nervous system by your brain. A thought is composed of sensory detail being placed in a rational order by your brain. Memory is an imprint of experience upon your brain. The actual thought (what's occuring in a person's head) can never be viewed by another person, but we can nonetheless understand that each thought is a very intricate system of factors working. My head hurts, please input your data.

Thinking this thread over again, it makes no sense. Someone please remove it, since I was too tired when I wrote it.

Yeah I've considered this but I don't think it can be done, and I doubt it will ever be possible.

No, I think this is a good thread. I don't have much time to comment, but will attach an <a href="http://www.gaianxaos.com/Pdf%20Chaos%20Library_files/new%20mathematical%20model%20of%20mind.pdf">E-book</a> which deals with the topic.

Thougths can be meaasured in the number of (eg.) letters they require to be put into some transferable form (eg. a theory). It seems that science would require shorter notations (in the number of letters) then an artwork. I think eg. maths uses some regularities in numbers and the logical structure on which the number system is build to enable the transfer of thougths. (Einstein claimed that his thouths were structured (linguistically?) only at the last stages of the thinking process). Some ideas (in the arts) can be implied by only "pieces" of ideas eg. poetry. These pieces then activate a process of interactive thinking (poet-reader) Therefore the ideas in art are longer because they became "transferable" only if the reader supplies his "part" of thinking.

Maybe not with a machine but thoughts certainly can be measured for their time ( duration ) and intensity ( emotion )

Also the speed ( psycho acceleration) is also something that we measure but again it is our own reference and not at present measurable from external sources.

I think in Fighter pilot training they measure reflexes and stimulous reaction times which could be regarded as thought speed.

Also IQ tests and comprehension tests are a way of measuring thought processes, but maybe this is off topic.