# David Marr ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2026-03-29 David Marr.jpg|400]] David Marr (1945–1980) was a British neuroscientist whose posthumous *Vision* (1982) transformed computational neuroscience. His key insight: understanding any information-processing system requires three levels of analysis—computational (what problem?), algorithmic (what steps?), and implementational (what hardware?). This framework remains foundational in [[Cognitive Science]]. Marr applied this to vision, showing how the brain constructs 3D representations from 2D images through stages (primal sketch → 2.5D sketch → 3D model). His computational approach influenced [[Steven Pinker]]'s *[[How the Mind Works]]* and modern computational neuroscience. Marr died of leukemia at 35. ## Marr's Three Levels | Level | Question | |-------|----------| | Computational | What is the goal? | | Algorithmic | What process achieves it? | | Implementational | How is it physically realized? | ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[David Marr]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/book AND [[David Marr]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #type/book AND [[David Marr]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[How the Mind Works]] <!-- SerializedQuery END --> ## Related - [[Cognitive Science]] - [[Computational Theory of Mind]] - [[Steven Pinker]] ## References - Marr, David. *Vision* (1982) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Marr_(neuroscientist)