What, Why & How do we Know ?
An information-and-computation-based metaphysics is fundamental to several recent sources (as well as my own metaphysics) – even if the specialist scientific researchers often don’t concern themselves with metaphysical aspects of ontology. Most recently John C Doyle and Mark Solms for example – information and its processes are simply taken as more fundamental than any other … Continue reading “More on Fundamental Information & Computation”
I mentioned John C Doyle as a candidate for a new real-life (living) “hero” in my research quest here in 2019 and again here in 2021. I say “new” hero because my long term hero has been Dan Dennett. Of course since then, both Iain McGilchrist and Mark Solms have taken up a good deal … Continue reading “Scientists Will Hate This”
I mentioned in my review of Anatoly Levenchuk’s “Systems Thinking 2020” having some subsequent dialogue about common ground in other areas of the Psybertron agenda. A significant overlap is the work of Karl Friston (Free Energy Principle / Markov Blankets / Emergent Organism / Active Inference) in my reading of Mark Solms, and in Levenchuk’s … Continue reading “The Emperor’s New Markov-Blankets?”
Definition as a Coffin? “Hold your definition” is a plea by philosopher Daniel Dennett, often cited here on Psybertron, when dealing patiently with his scientific friends. Any discourse that starts with apparently clear definitions, manipulated solely by logic, is inherently limited by the fit between the history of those definitions and future of reality. At … Continue reading ““Definition as a Coffin” – Cybernetics to Systems Thinking”
The night before last, I completed Mark Solms (2021) “The Hidden Spring – A Journey to the Source of Consciousness“. ===== The Preamble / Previously on Psybertron April 2021 – I first mentioned receiving The Hidden Spring, but maybe not having enough bandwidth to read it. It didn’t stop me recommending it on the strength … Continue reading “The Hidden Spring – Round-Up”
Just completed Chapters 7, 8 & 9 of the Hidden Spring, having been looking forward to 7 when I finished 6, here. Wow, this is good stuff from Solms. The contents / subjects … Free Energy Principle – Homeostasis, “self-evidencing” in self-organising systems, statistical thermodynamics, entropy and information, efficiency. Markov-blankets between self-organised layers, two-way / … Continue reading “Before Returning to the Cortex”
Still working my way slowly through Mark Solms Hidden Spring, and barely half-way through, in Chapter 6 we have the seat, source or well-spring of consciousness, signified by his title. (We really need one good anatomical brain map on which to project so many different writers’ resources – I mentioned before – every one published … Continue reading “The Mid-Brain Decision Triangle”
A Summary of Iain McGilchrist “The Matter With Things” My writings on Iain McGilchrist’s TMWT, and TME (The Master and Emissary) before it, are many, but unfortunately that means that no single post, since my reading of TMWT, gives any introductory overview for a new reader. So here goes: What is the matter with things? … Continue reading “What is the Matter with Things?”
Added Bergson’s Creative Evolution to my reading list after finding so many references in McGilchrist’s latest. And had also noticed lots of cross-links between Bergson and Whitehead / James through an active “fan” of Bergson on my timeline in the last couple of years (Emily Herring). Keep coming across references to him having been the … Continue reading “Henri Bergson – Note to Self”
I’m reading Adam Zeman’s “A Portrait of the Brain” (2008). I’ve previously read his “Consciousness: A Users Guide” (2002) after seeing him give a talk in Cambridge in 2003. He’s become short-hand for me as the “Z” in from Austin to Zeman in listing all the various neuroscientists who have investigated “abnormal” behaviours in real … Continue reading “The Architecture of the Brain”