How vs why I started learning genetic algorithms (random permutations selected/promoted for picking better combinations of Hamiltonian paths for solving NP-C problems obtaining near-optimal solutions quickly) and neural networks (mainly backpropagation, using different topologies) circa 1995 (college). It was like magic: you learn how to use those techniques easily in order to solve problems. However, the why was not…
From a biological sense, the only neural net we have a decent understanding of is the C elegans nematode worm with a few hundred neurons. Large neural networks like that of our brain are beyond our understanding and I suspect the same is the case for ANNs.