Now let's move up the ladder of creation, noting the important innovations along the way.
At the most basic level are nonliving things. They come into existence, exchange energy and matter, and just sit there or react depending upon the environment. Next up are the beginnings of life. They BREED! They process incoming energy and matter into duplicates of themselves, moving within the environment to acquire better environmental circumstances. Then comes evolution. The breeding lifeforms ADAPT to environment to modify their own designs so that better survival prospects are attained. Then comes thinking. Adaptive organisms PROCESS incoming sensory data to react depending upon circumstances rather than aimlessly wandering through the environment trying to get lucky. Then comes work. Organisms capable of processing data MANIPULATE their surrounding environment to CAUSE survival and breeding prospects to increase. Then comes learning. Organisms LEARN how to better manipulate their environment as they expand their ecological niche into new territory, not depending any longer on the old stimulus organism response model as modified by chance circumstances. Then comes practice. A learning organism hones its behavioral responses in PLANNED activities designed as preparation for when a situation threatening survival might occur. Then comes REASON, when an organism is able to adapt its planning in response to changes in the environment which threaten its survival. Then comes IMAGINATION, when an organism reasons beyond evidence from the known into the seemingly impossible. Then comes ENTERTAINMENT, when an organism is so successful that survival is no longer a problem, and can divert resources for the purpose of making life FUN. People who engage in sports are stuck at the planned activity practicing stage. People who play games are stuck at the stage of reasoning, exercising their minds. People who read and write fiction are exercising their imaginations. People who are like me just do whatever we please, mostly LYING to challenge the sober, logical, work oriented drones of society, causing them to examine their assumptions regarding the purpose of life. William Shakespeare "All the world's a stage." Let's have some FUN! Lonnie Courtney Clay On Tuesday, July 26, 2011 9:13:22 PM UTC-7, Lonnie Clay wrote: > > > interpretation-> > Having obtained some familiar memory association, the task now becomes what > to do about the information. Is it necessary to pay attention to the > information and pass it up the line, or can it be ignored? It is at this > stage that a failure to find a memory reference will result in a higher > state of awareness, focusing the mind upon a new or unusual experience, > ratcheting upwards the priority of the sensed data. "Well THAT woke me up!" > comes into play. > > associative reasoning-> > Having gained the mind's attention, the next stage is the question of what > to do or how to react, and furthermore how sharply the memory should recall > the situation for later reference. At this point intellectual focus comes > into play. The mind begins to wonder "What's going on?" Data is sifted for > implications and relevant experiences cascade through the mind, permitting > further strategic allocation of attention. In highly stimulative > environments, the question becomes what is *most important* rather than what > is *loudest* as data clamors for priority. Successful reactions to > previously encountered circumstances or situations are arrayed within the > mind. > > insight and inspiration-> > With a bundled state of the situation at hand, the mind proceeds to sort > through strategic techniques which have been successful in past situations, > including those which are not especially similar to the current one, but > which are methods of problem solving found useful in the past. The fully > integrated state of the body and an understanding of environmental > interactions and bodily capabilities yield insights and provide inspiration. > "Aha NOW I understand" comes into play. > > abstract reasoning-> > Having evaluated data and finally understood what is going on, the mind > must decide just what to do about it. Now the realm of reasoning finally is > engaged. The mind is no longer just reacting but might be able to make > intuitive leaps at this point. Innovative responses are developed, or the > old tried and true solutions might be used, depending upon the situation. > > judgement-> > Now we are up to near human status at last! An invention of the latest in > brain design is judgement. Judgement processes abstractions into still more > elevated realms of thought, especially in the area of *selection of > alternatives*. An awareness with judgement moves beyond responding with > "what is easiest", "what is best", or "what worked last time" into the > territory of "what will increase my understanding." An awareness with > judgement takes risks and values new information more than assured safety. > The old saying of "curiousity killed the cat" comes into play. Risk takers > discover new territory and expand their ecological niches. > > conclusions and goals->back to top > The undisputed territory of humans is rationality, especially the ability > to take data based upon experience and reason logically using it to deduce, > infer, or extrapolate from that data. Drawing conclusions permits goal > oriented behavior, moving beyond the familiar into anticipation - "what > would happen IF." Foresight and hindsight permit humans to predict > consequences and LEARN from past mistakes. Sadly it must be noted that > logical reasoning, information evaluation, and the other tools of > rationality are neglected in most schools in favor of rote memorization. > > One more post after this part 4 and I will desist until prompted for MORE! > > Lonnie Courtney Clay > > On Tuesday, July 26, 2011 8:10:09 PM UTC-7, Lonnie Clay wrote: >> >> environment and mental status-> >> Before the senses are engaged, a body must be receptive to input. This >> receptivity can be summarized as situational awareness and perceptiveness. >> The mental status ranges from utterly oblivious to excruciatingly aware. To >> sense something a sensory receptor must have a linkage to a nerve cell. >> Almost all nerve cells link to other nerve cells to send information from a >> sensory receptor to a sensory processing node within the brain. The sole >> exception of which I am aware is autonomous reflexes, where a receptor links >> to a nerve cell, whose sole linkage is to a muscular contractile cell of the >> skin. >> >> senses-> >> Without being specific about which sense is under discussion, it can be >> stated in general that a sensory cell has some type of transducer to >> translate from raw input to coded data suitable for transmission to and >> processing by a nerve cell. The sensitivity of senses is dependent not only >> upon incoming raw data, but also upon the experiential base of the receptor >> cell, specifically upon whether the receptor cell has the biological >> wherewithal to perform its function. Overuse of a receptor cell results in >> depletion of supplies and reduced sensitivity. >> >> intuitive grasp-> >> A complex dance of feedback loops occurs as senses are used, with a body >> gaining experience in focus and translation of raw data into interpreted >> information. Without that dance, senses would simply provide a random >> cascade of gibberish without derived meaning. There is a very high success >> rate in deriving meaning from senses BECAUSE without the ability to >> understand and control its environment, an organism will fail to survive. >> Modern organisms are a result of evolutionary pressure exerted upon previous >> generations of their ancestors. >> >> correlation based upon experience-> >> The intuitive grasp stage preprocesses data for the determination of >> significance, relevance, and priority based upon experience. These mental >> tasks permit the sorting of input into allocations of mental processing >> resources within the brain, and also autonomous bodily responses to resupply >> cells which are determined to be sources of critical data approaching >> saturation status. The correlation processing takes the data from numerous >> sensory cells and reshapes it into packets of associated information. The >> formation of packets depends upon the sense involved. For example the visual >> cells have far greater number yet individually less data content than the >> auditory cells which are fewer in number with more range of data content. >> >> categorization-> >> At this stage the information packets are routed from the central nervous >> system into specific areas of the brain which have been trained to process >> their own protocols for data packets. The body LEARNS how to sort the data >> for processing, with preferred zones of processing. However it is well known >> than brain trauma resulting in loss of tissue can be overcome to permit >> (albeit at a less efficient level) the processing of sensory data in sites >> other than the preferred design locations. Every brain uniquely trains >> itself for data packet processing based upon sensory load. To give one >> example, it is well known that the loss of sight results in far more acute >> hearing as time passes by, with idle brain capacity formerly utilized for >> visual interpretation being reallocated for auditory processing. >> >> classification-> >> The data is abstracted from packets to determine whether the sensory >> information has varied significantly from its previous state. This efficient >> mechanism permits the brain to avoid doing the higher level functions for >> data which has already been interpreted in previous moments. The brain is >> wise enough not to spend its time and biological resources upon constantly >> re-inventing the wheel. A change in sensory status signals the brains higher >> functions to work, while the same old stuff gets ignored. We are all >> familiar with the old saying "it faded from my senses through repetition" in >> some fashion or another. >> >> abstract correlation with memory-> >> The abstracted data is compared with experience based learned associations >> pulled from memory. The reflexive processes come into play at last. A body's >> mechanisms can react subconsciously to sensory input processed to reach this >> stage so that bodily reactions permit "saving the situation" when memory >> indicates "danger!" Once again significance, relevance, and priority come >> into play but at a much higher level of association based upon memorized >> experience. A memory search proceeds to find the data which most closely >> matches the current information. Then the best matches are retained for >> higher level functions to process. The old saying "I remember something like >> that from yesterday/ long ago" becomes relevant here. >> >> interpretation-> >> associative reasoning-> >> insight and inspiration-> >> abstract reasoning-> >> judgement-> >> conclusions and goals->back to top >> >> End part 3 more forthcoming >> >> Lonnie Courtney Clay >> >> On Tuesday, July 26, 2011 10:29:44 AM UTC-7, Lonnie Clay wrote: >>> >>> Having established in the preceding post that a DNA strand is capable of >>> producing a baby given enough nutrients, I'll move forward into the realm >>> of >>> artificial intelligence. At birth the brain already has quite a bit of >>> experience in control systems theory due to keeping the baby's body >>> functioning and growing. At birth a new stage commences of interacting with >>> the environment. Baby inhales and screams! Sad to say, in modern hospitals >>> the presentation of mother's breast to satisfy the demand for a slave by >>> baby is lacking, permanently traumatizing baby's judgmental processes. But >>> that is a topic upon which (as a bachelor) I can be presumed incompetant. >>> So >>> let's move forward. As baby interacts daily, baby becomes aware that sounds >>> and sights are related to the caring of baby. Screams bring attention, >>> relieving baby's soiled diapers and providing food to be converted by baby >>> into growth and waste. Eventually something clicks in baby and baby >>> attempts >>> to imitate the sounds of the nurturers, learning language. >>> >>> ***** CRAZY TALK ALERT ***** >>> Although there is evidence from brain stimulation experiments that >>> electrical probes can stimulate memory RECALL, there is NOT a SHRED of >>> evidence that abstract reasoning occurs within the brain, or even that the >>> data accessed by memory is found in the cells of the brain itself. I claim >>> that structures within the brain have only the purpose of controlling >>> bodily >>> functions and providing a hardware interface for a soul(s) to communicate >>> from higher realms down to the flesh puppet body. If you can swallow that, >>> then the question becomes : "Why is there a soul communications interface >>> built into brains?" Unless you want to get into metaphysical theorizing, >>> I'll just say that "Maybe the situation is more interesting down here..." >>> >>> ***** ***** >>> Having ratcheted the discussion to new heights, let's get back to baby. >>> Using an intuitive grasp of the correlative cause and effect relationship >>> for events sensed which occur in baby's environment, baby constructs >>> decision trees based upon repetitive correlations, evidencing an >>> understanding of probabilistic determinism. Baby experiments with the >>> senses >>> and output mechanisms, moving eyes to track nurturers, focusing upon breast >>> or bottle, experimenting with baby's ability to consume. Before baby ever >>> utters the first word beyond apparently random shrieks, gasps, and gurgles, >>> baby attains some mastery of interpretation of touch, hearing, taste, >>> smell, >>> and sight. Baby practices motion control, reaching out baby's grubby hands >>> to grab whatever is in reach, squirming about for comfort etc. >>> >>> One day baby says "Mmmm" and mama says "mama" back until with practice >>> baby masters its first word. In my case the first word that I *understood* >>> rather than simply imitated was "EAT". I grew up on English with noun, >>> verb, >>> object structure, which sure does look like a "natural" computer language >>> doesn't it? But that is enough about babies, let's get back to the OP topic >>> of the label or address versus the thing. >>> >>> environment and mental status-> >>> senses-> >>> intuitive grasp-> >>> correlation based upon experience-> >>> categorization-> >>> classification-> >>> abstract correlation with memory-> >>> interpretation-> >>> associative reasoning-> >>> insight and inspiration-> >>> abstract reasoning-> >>> judgement-> >>> conclusions and goals->back to top >>> >>> The actual path of information is far more complex than that, with >>> interior loops within stages, feedback to refine senses, feedback to get a >>> better grasp of the situation based upon conclusions etc. The diagram is >>> almost certainly not topologically flat even for an idiot. Notice that the >>> final stage is the drawing of conclusions and goals before going back to >>> square one. Some people jump all of the way from their environment and >>> mental status directly to conclusions and goals, bypassing the intervening >>> stages by "jumping to conclusions" which is relatively "senseless" behavior >>> LOLOL. Some of them even admit that they "don't believe my senses" or >>> exclaim that "This situation is senseless!" >>> >>> End part 2, more forthcoming >>> >>> Lonnie Courtney Clay >>> >>> On Tuesday, July 26, 2011 7:06:20 AM UTC-7, einseele wrote: >>>> >>>> Or yes! >>>> Excellent post LC >>>> >>>> On Jul 26, 10:15 am, Lonnie Clay <cla...@comcast.net> wrote: >>>> > Yes einseele you make a good point. The label or address if you prefer >>>> is >>>> > not the thing. Others here have made similar observations in the >>>> context of >>>> > philosophical viewpoints regarding what awareness perceives as opposed >>>> to >>>> > what exists. I feel sufficiently inspired this morning to add a penny >>>> of my >>>> > thoughts to what I suspect is going to be a long thread. >>>> > >>>> > Whence come original thoughts, new ideas, intuitive leaps? Do they >>>> spring >>>> > forth from nothingness, being spontaneously created by a critical mass >>>> of >>>> > associations? I think that it was Thomas Edison who said "Genius is 1% >>>> >>>> > inspiration and 99% perspiration." In other words, inventing something >>>> is >>>> > easier said than done. Some say that inspiration comes from GOD. But >>>> that >>>> > just shifts the burden to higher ground, because where then does GOD >>>> get the >>>> > raw material for inspiration? >>>> > >>>> > Perhaps someone is a master chef, taking ingredients plucked from the >>>> garden >>>> > or bought at a store and preparing them into a tasty concoction which >>>> gives >>>> > us food for thought. But once again, that begs the question. Whence >>>> come the >>>> > seeds which grow into the ingredients? Where does the chef live, what >>>> does >>>> > that KITCHEN look like, what are the kitchen implements, who >>>> manufactured >>>> > them? >>>> > >>>> > Let's backtrack a bit trying to get at the roots of thinking. >>>> "Information >>>> > alters consciousness." At conception we humans are single cell >>>> lifeforms >>>> > created by the cooperation of an egg with an invading sperm cell. >>>> Their DNA >>>> > strands split apart then fuse together to form a new instructional >>>> sequence >>>> > for a hardware specification which has been proven as robust in its >>>> fault >>>> > tolerance, adaptive in its processing, heterogenous in its expansion, >>>> and >>>> > self limiting in its overall design. So eventually you obtain from >>>> that cell >>>> > a human body which contains nervous, circulatory, respiratory, >>>> skeletal, >>>> > digestive, immune, muscular, and other systems each of which has >>>> subsystem >>>> > structures composed of cells. At the core of every cell is a DNA >>>> strand >>>> > which is a variant of the combined DNA at conception. A cell is itself >>>> a >>>> > complex and fascinating package in the microscopic domain. I am a >>>> software >>>> > engineer rather than a biologist, so I will butt out of that topic >>>> before I >>>> > make a silly blunder. >>>> > >>>> > They say that self awareness begins in the womb with sensations of >>>> pressure, >>>> > specifically the pulsing of the mother's heartbeat and sensations of >>>> warmth. >>>> > Later on once the other glands have developed come sound etc. But has >>>> the >>>> > fetus learned anything before leaving the womb? In most cases, there >>>> is a >>>> > definite yes, because one of the things which uncomfortable fetuses do >>>> is >>>> > kick out to let mother know that baby is uncomfortable. Baby will kick >>>> more >>>> > often if mother makes baby comfortable in response to kicking. So >>>> there you >>>> > have it, without instruction in higher institutions of learning even >>>> FETUSES >>>> > understand feedback control theory to a certain extent! LOL LOL LOL! >>>> > >>>> > Encoded in that DNA strand are the instructions for self assembling a >>>> > complete baby, provided that nutrients are available to the cells of >>>> the >>>> > fetus in the womb. Implicit in the design of nerve cells is the >>>> ability to >>>> > communicate, store information, and *get this* correlate data in >>>> interaction >>>> > with other cells through threshold triggering of nerve impulses. A >>>> nerve >>>> > cell is a networked computer wrapped in foil. It has an identity >>>> depending >>>> > upon its location in the body, a state vector of biological molecules >>>> and >>>> > electrical energy, and a transitional rule subsystem which based upon >>>> DNA >>>> > interprets the cell's state in relation to stimuli to determine what >>>> the >>>> > next state will be. >>>> > >>>> > This post is getting to be a bit long, so the discussion will be >>>> continued >>>> > in the next post, upcoming. >>>> > >>>> > Lonnie Courtney Clay >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > On Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5:13:14 AM UTC-7, einseele wrote: >>>> > >>>> > > Information technology is a good tool to point an address concept >>>> that >>>> > > once in a while I use to bother all of you :-) >>>> > > If we for instance take the string: 'Hello world' and want to >>>> express >>>> > > it through a binary code, (this is not trying to discuss IT but >>>> > > linguistics), we get then the following number: >>>> > >>>> > > >>>> 0100100001100101011011000110110001101111001000000111011101101111011100100110110001100100 >>>> >>>> >>>> > >>>> > > If you want it into octal is: >>>> > >>>> > > 110145154154157040167157162154144 >>>> > >>>> > > And there you go >>>> > >>>> > > If you want to play with this, like trying your name or other >>>> options >>>> > > there are a bunch of sites which you can visit, like: >>>> > >>>> > >http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1PldXx/nickciske.com/tools/binary.php >>>> > >>>> > > The question is, which is the difference under the information point >>>> >>>> > > of view between >>>> > >>>> > > Hello world >>>> > > >>>> 0100100001100101011011000110110001101111001000000111011101101111011100100110110001100100 >>>> >>>> >>>> > >>>> > > or >>>> > > 110145154154157040167157162154144 >>>> > >>>> > > The answer is none >>>> > >>>> > > All three (and many other) point to the same address, using a >>>> > > different mean >>>> > >>>> > > All three are just the pointers, and the address is just one. >>>> > >>>> > > Finally, where is that information (I equal here information = >>>> > > address) >>>> > >>>> > > Information can only be pointed, and will be always absent. >>>> Knowledge >>>> > > and information shares this part >>>> > >>>> > > IMHO this is a spatial concept were pointers has of course mass, >>>> > > contrary to information which can only live in the empty part of the >>>> >>>> > > equation. >>>> > >>>> > > This is not new of course, it is just the same old battle in >>>> > > epistemology but under a linguistic point of view >>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Epistemology" group. 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