Mi-Go Brain Cylinders are arcane technological devices created by H. P. Lovecraft for his short story The Whisperer in Darkness.
Description[]
A Brain Cylinder is a cylindrical, medium sized machine used by the Mi-Go to transport humans to Yuggoth. It contains a living human brain, vivisected from its host and preserved in nutrient fluid. The cylinder can be connected with various devices that provide the faculties of sight, hearing and speech to the brain, allowing it to observe and interact with its surroundings.
Behind the Mythos[]
The Mi-Go brain cylinders are a literal example of the "Brain in a Jar" thought experiment. The "Brain in a Jar" or "Brain in a Vat" is a philosophical exploration of whether, if all we are is a brain wrapped in meat, if the brain is isolated and only experiences things indirectly, can we be sure that anything we experience is real? The original version of this thought experiment was proposed by René Descartes in 1641 and was based on a human brain trapped inside a demon (a very Mythos concept). The vat/jar version was proposed by Gilbert Harlan in 1973 to update the experiment and remove any moral or supernatural element.
Gallery[]
.jpeg "Mi-go Brain Cylinder (Arkham Relic Hunt).jpeg (18 KB)")