Thursday, 12 March 2009

A chaotic mind's, Q & A session on unconscious learning.

thoughts I thought off in the past

these thoughts remain

they have accommodated themselves, they have built mental structures, no matter how solid and how clear and concise they might be

neural networks or better cell assemblies, John Holland's reverberated cell assemblies

the always on, the exclusive-or circuit, and their indefinite nature

and they are the structures that my unconscious mind is using

a well as my conscious mind

but my unconscious mind is faster (a quantum computer analogy?!)

unconscious learning? How? ....

since learning is directed focused attention driven

attributes of the conscious mind

or so we think it is only

but nevertheless, starting by accepting that this is the case, conscius directed learning,

How can we imagine unconscious learning to be?

Define the unconscious?

Delimiting conscious from unconscious?

Properties, attributes that apply to one but not the other?

for example attention, by virtue of the use of sense organs, vision, hearing, smell, only attributed to conscious processes. Only?

conscious awareness

conscious applying to the surface, unconscious deeper

hidden, buried deep into our brain.

The unconscious mind determines our actions, short-term acts, our reflexes.

the automated responses that we use to get by in life events

life events that require a quick response

not time to spent contemplating on our response

how to react to a given setup or situation

no-thinking involved or better thinking as a matter of contemplation, is not involved

which is slow very slow (ref)

modes of thinking, a matter of choice ... informed choice?!

chaotic mind engages the unconscious mind

because it's fast

synchronization? (another day)

may be unconscious learning, it is not learning, as it is not in the surface of my consciousness, it does not have direct access to the outside world, can not 'see' the objects that are necessary for learning to occur

for stimuli to engage upon, which without them the process of learning can not take pace

it is an indirect means for our consciousness to access the external environment

it requires our conscious mind to come in contact with the outside world

indirect learning?

our conscious mind offers the syllabus of what to be learned

that's another thought how are conscious mind is prone to manipulation

by societies, governments, states ... by companies, schools, pressure groups, peer pressure, (public opinion?), (common sense?), or other institutions tangible or not

our unconscious an agent of free will?

conscious mind the jailer?

conscious mind directs learning

limiting learning

our unconscious mind eager to learn more

it is restricted by the conscious mind, the conscious mind itself is under the influence of external pressures

unconscious mind might not exercise learning or exercise limited learning (as far as this session goes)

but it makes a more ( I would say even extremely) effective use of what has been leaned (let say in whatever way it has been learned)

because it is fast and because, everything (I would call it that) that has been leaned is retained

thanks to the always on, indefinite time stored, information, knowledge

the more the knowledge taken in

(another idea just struck me while thinking .....)

refusing to taken in knowledge, our conscious mind deems as unimportant, limits the layer(s) of knowledge our unconscious mind draws for the stuff to guide our reflexes

(oh, it would never stop. another idea just arrived)

synapses determine the availability of memories of information

the synapse directs towards the memories stored

synapse not in use is dismantled, paths to connected memories severed

memories are not lost, just they are not on, online

memories survive the severed channel event, they are just offline

unconscious mind have access to offline memories

The unconscious mind is a good learner and practices efficiently has been learned

Saturday, 28 February 2009

Thinking and social engineering

.. thinking and social engineering

.. the website that claimed that the British state uses social engineering to pass into individuals the ways of thinking they find that it is worth of following

.. what I read in another website about thinking harms the health of individual

.. as far as I can remember it was not from a state website but one of the newspapers, the Telegraph I think

.. that means that the paper is into social engineering

.. or the paper played the role of spreading the doctrine of another group who had in their mind to influence, or stir away individuals from thinking

.. and why you find this contemptible?

.. it is down to an attempt to subdue individuals for the purpose of rendering them easy prey for the goals states and societies were built for, monetizing

.. if individuals stirred away, or stop thinking it makes it easier for the exploitation of the other individuals which their only purpose is to milk profits out of their societies

.. the source of the research, put it that way, is America.

.. these thoughts followed a feeling of disbelief, as why would anybody would want to do anything like that

.. meaning to want to influence the very deep function of any individual, the fundamental principle of the individual which is thinking. Thinking which leads or is instantiated by learning. Enhanced by learning.

.. so subtle the intervention that is barely noticed

.. it introduces elements of conspiracy


nothing is wasted?

Monday, 23 February 2009

Chaotic dynamics on a par with the genetic code, in evolutionary terms?

A claim is put forward in "Fractal Neurodynamics and Quantum Chaos: Resolving the Mind-Brain Paradox Through Novel Biophysics", in Chapter 6.2, Chaotic Excitability as a founding Eukaryote Characteristic,

"It is thus possible that chaotic excitation dates from as early a period as the genetic code itself and that the first eukaryote cells may have been excitable via direct electrochemical transfer from light energy, before enzyme-based metabolic pathways had developed."

Chaotic excitations preceding the evolution of enzyme-based metabolic pathways? Why not? Nowadays, sustaining complex life can not be imagined without the enzymes. Could life forms, before the advent of enzymes, have utilised the creative potential, inherent in chaotic dynamics?

It is mentioned further, that

"We have seen how chaotic excitation provides for exploration of phase space and sensitivity to internal and external fluctuations. "

Chaotic excitation provide the means to explore phase space. Phase space comprised by the vast range of existent states in the surrounding environment and chaotic excitation enabled early life forms to sense their surroundings, learn and adapt.

Chaotic processes created attractors, what materialised as stable physical structures. The features of life forms as they have developed by constant evolutionary transformations. Evolution processes materialised as permanent structures, the attractors, as the code written in genetic blueprints was instantiated?

Phase space comprised by the vast range of existing states, both in life forms and in the environment. Surrounding environment that a life form senses by electrochemical excitation. It is mentioned in the Electrochemistry Encyclopedia, that

"The conduction of electrochemical excitation must be regarded as one of the most universal properties of living organisms. It arose in connection with the need for the transmission of a signal about an external influence from one part of a biological system to another."

External influences as they are exerted by processes, constantly at play and simultaneously define the states that make up the chaotically explored phase space.

The surrounding environment, the atmospheric electrohemistry mentioned as:

"The existence of ions in the atmosphere is the fundamental reason for atmospheric electricity. The voltage between the earth's surface and the ionosphere is approximately 40 kV, which induces an electrical current of approximately 2000 A with a current density around 5 pA/m2 (1 picoampere = 10-12 ampere, one trillionth of an ampere per square metre)."

graphically describing

"The Earth is an "electrode" immersed in a weak gaseous "electrolyte," the naturally ionized atmosphere."

provide the context of the processes as well as the message carrier, electrical currents, which are detected, as

"The high sensitivity of the protoplasm and all cell organelles to any natural and chemical effect is the basis for excitability."

The high sensitivity, reminiscent of chaotic sensitivity as it responds to minimal changes with tantamount effects, triggers cell membranes, the boundaries of all life forms in all their evolutionary transformations, as a

"... change in trans membrane potential create a wave of depolarization, or action potential, that affects the adjoining, resting membrane."

Excitable membranes are ubiquitous in all evolved life forms, as it is further mentioned

"Nerve cells in animals and phloem cells in plants share one fundamental property: they possess excitable membranes through which electrical excitations, in the form of action potentials, can propagate. These propagating excitations are modelled theoretically as travelling wave solutions of certain parameter dependant nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations coupled with some nonlinear ordinary differential equations. These travelling wave solutions can be classified as single loop pulse, multiple loop pulses, fronts and backs, or periodic waves of different wave speed."

Chaotic dynamics created, brought life into existence and continue to guide life forms in their evolutionary journey.

"excitability: the disposition of a tissue or living cell to respond to a stimulus or change in the environment.
excitation: the act of producing or increasing stimulation; the immediate response of a cell or a tissue to a stimulus or change in the environment."

" subthreshold: (usually a stimulus that is) not strong enough to be perceived or to produce a response."

"At the cellular level, electrical potentials exist across membranes, and thus between cellular and specific compartments. Electrolytic species such as potassium, calcium, hydrogen, and chloride ions are actively involved in the establishment and modulation of electrical potentials."

Friday, 30 January 2009

The physical basis of meaning and paradigm shifts.

Mathematical neuron?

Or, a function, or even a group of functions in a neuron, or neurons, that perform mathematical processing?

The thought just came to me, as I was grappling with a task, a mathematical task, and found myself unable to comprehend the meaning contained within.

I further connected my inability, with a lack in my mind, of the necessary mental structures to employ and derive appropriate responses to this kind of stimuli. I did not have the appropriate mental tools in order to elucidate and achieve meaning pointed by the particular stimulus. Therefore these stimuli, despite being present were either totally ignored or not being given appropriate attention, or even being given an incorrect treatment, resulting in incorrect responses.

Stimuli, that represent every minute detail in our environment, are taken in and processed accordingly, only if there are appropriate mental structures built, in our minds. Mental structures amassed by learning. The enormous amount of information around us precipitates the necessity for continuous lifelong learning.

For each minute detail, the individual should have its very own way of approaching it, of dealing with it. It even points towards the notion of the human individual being a blank slate, a tabula rasa, since its birth and constantly inscribing, all through its lifetime records of its life events and ways to deal with them.

Which in the neuron level of our brains is translated into having the necessary synapses between the relevant neurons. Neural pathways created by synapses, and by being activated via synapses hence synaptic pathways.

These thoughts give 'meaning', as it is sought by individuals, a physical basis, which might be the only basis there is, none other. Based on brain states achieved as synaptic pathways are continuously created, a thought pointing towards constant learning, as the human individual never ceases to learn. A deeply felt process that leads to a state of fulfillment that invigorates the individual.

A human attribute epitomized in the phrase

'Γηράσκω αεί Διδασκόμενος'

attributed to the Athenian statesman and lawmaker, Solon (ancient Greek: Σόλων, c. 638 BC–558 BC), often credited with having laid the foundations for Athenian democracy, which literally means 'I constantly learn as I grow old', nullifying any notions of an individual going through its life time without searching the reasons for just 'being'.

Certainly that what is supposed to be regardless whether individuals adhere to it or not, for whatever reason this might be.

Which by itself, it might give rise to a deeper understanding of what a paradigm shift represents, in the context of the human mind, and by that analogy in all cases that paradigm shifts apply. As the old thought patterns instantiated as habits and guide the behaviour of a human individual, are abandoned. The processes employed to deal with stuff encountered in life, drastically change.

In the same way, (chaos self-similarity principle(?)) while an individual learns new knowledge, it means that the brain creates new synapses, new synaptic pathways. the old synaptic pathways which were used to deal with a particular situation are destroyed. As such it cuts off the synaptic pathway, there is no synaptic pathway to instantiate the particular train of thoughts any longer and all the previous modes of thinking cease to exist, which amounts to, completely forgotten.








around in itself points towards the necessity for each individual to amass an enormous amount of information to deal with each and every step of the mental processes it employs to deal with stuff in life.

Friday, 23 January 2009

Consciousness reassures us that the world is, as is.

It has been said over and over again(?), that the role consciousness can play, is in sorting out states the individual finds itself amidst. States being either world, or inner self, or states out of the interaction with other individuals. All that we have amassed as we delve deep, with our minds chaotic processes, into them states.

Checking out the things around us, reminding us what each thing is. That a tree is a tree, or a cat is cat. A reassurance of the content of concepts, the stuff they are made up of. Along with, that we put keys in such and such place and that when we need them, we will find them in such and such place. To preserve the continuity in our daily lives. Contiguity? Congruency?

Consciousness reassures us that the world is, as is. Checking up on the contents of the concepts we have learned at some point in time, along with all the properties and attributes each concept is associated with.

Thursday, 27 November 2008

Thinking of idealised units of link-node-link chains organised by context?

Relevant threads

- By virtue of reflexive and reflective reasoning then reflexive and reflective thinking?
- FROM SIMPLE ASSOCIATIONS TO SYSTEMATIC REASONING: A Connectionist representation of rules, variables, and dynamic bindings using temporal synchrony
- The paradigm shifts in our minds
- Handles-tags drag along thoughts from our minds
- "Use-it-or-lose-it" pruning of brain cells. An on-the-fly brain mechanism for dynamic minds?

I read in the paper by Lokendra Shastri and Venkat Ajjanagadde 'From simple associations to systematic reasoning', under the title 'Computational constraints', section 1.2

"Connectionist models (Feldman & Ballard 1982; Rumelhart & McClelland 1986) are intended to emulate the information processing characteristics of the brain — albeit at an abstract computational level — and reflect its strengths and weaknesses. Typically, a node in a connectionist network corresponds to an idealized neuron, and a link corresponds to an idealized synaptic connection.
Let us enumerate some core computational features of connectionist models: i) Nodes compute very simple functions of their inputs, ii) They can only hold limited state information — while a node may maintain a scalar ‘potential’, it cannot store and selectively manipulate bit strings. iii) Node outputs do not have sufficient resolution to encode symbolic names or pointers. iv) There is no central controller that instructs individual nodes to perform specific operations at each step of processing.
"

A node, in a connectionist or any other kind of network for that matter, corresponds to an idealised neuron, and a link to an idealised synaptic connection? Taking it further, a node corresponds to neural pathways connecting links, pathways which can include one idealised neuron or several idealised neurons? The main point being the passage of the signal from link-to-link? And not just any link, but a certain kind of link? A link, a synaptic connection, that lies within the context, the link-node-link path is attached to? A neurological basis of context? That links are attached by nodes, in link-node-link neural chains abiding to rules (... of context?)

Link-node-link creation, independent of length, namely the number of neurons involved. Independent also of the distance between individual links, or their place in the brain? What only matters is their placement within the contextual link-node-link chains? And one other thought that connects our brain organisation, with chaotic and fractal aspects. It is the potential inherent in such mode of brain organisation that even a remote, unused link, deeply buried, in all sense implied, can instantiate itself, unearth the attributes is attached with, and confer in the meaning of the currently active link-node-link unit.

Take the matter of idealised units, beyond a computational level, and instead talk about idealised units on the basis of context? Providing a simple mechanism for instantiating a thought, a unit of emergent thought, and multiple copies out of the same blueprint interacting, leading to complexity and the emergence of the mind?

The little red riding hood example and the steps in the inferential processing,

"The wolf will approach LRRH (to eat something you have to be near it); LRRH will scream (because a child is scared by an approaching wild animal); upon hearing the scream the wood-cutters will know that a child is in danger (because a child’s screaming suggests that it is in danger); the wood-cutters will go to the child (people want to protect children in danger and in part, this involves determining the source of the danger); the wood-cutters will try to prevent the wolf from attacking LRRH (people want to protect children); in doing so the wood-cutters may hurt the wolf (preventing an animal from attacking may involve physical force ...); so the wolf decides to wait (because an animal does not want to get hurt)."

a link-node-link path, and each link jump adds attributes that amass in the meaning conferred by the link-node-link chain, in a manner that comes out, from what the authors refer to as the “unary or even propositional fixation” problem

"This turns out to be a difficult problem for neurally motivated models. As McCarthy (1988) observed most connectionist systems suffer from the “unary or even propositional fixation” with their representational power restricted to unary predicates applied to a fixed object. Fodor and Pylyshyn (1988) have even questioned the ability of connectionist networks to embody systematicity and compositionality."

as 'unary predicates applied to a fixed object'?

Links thought off as handles or tags that involve their own specific load of attributes and properties, and drag along what is relevant to the context of the active node-link-node chain?

Though their potential surpasses their mere role in providing inferences for instantiating reasoning. By virtue of their associations with other conceived thoughts, that might even belong in other contextual units, can form context to context bridges, can drag along attributes that belong in other contexts, borrowing from context to context, passing from context to context and use that in innovating manners, the hallmark of creativity.

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

By virtue of reflexive and reflective reasoning then reflexive and reflective thinking?

Following up the threads

- Thinking (with)in and (with)out the brain.
- FROM SIMPLE ASSOCIATIONS TO SYSTEMATIC REASONING: A Connectionist representation of rules, variables, and dynamic bindings using temporal synchrony
- The minds we make overall stupid despite being generated by an underlying remarkable ability to draw inferences?
- Intuitions. Should we be afraid or trust our intuitions? Building up a case for trust.
- Neural processes beat rational thinking.
- Not recommended: frantically seeking escape from a chaotic situation, we find ourselves in.
- Is thinking an automatic process?
- Unconscious knows better ... Indulge yourself.
- Our neurons chart the space we unfold our actions in
- Mind sets and their overriding influence



This paper by Lokendra Shastri and Venkat Ajjanagadde 'From simple associations to systematic reasoning' got me going. I felt that their conclusion, arrived from a somewhat different path, matches what I have arrived using different leads. Or might be simply that I have not wholesomely (systematically) engaged in their views, despite being aired since 1992.

I felt, I have to go through, trod again the path that led me to the views, currently prevalent in my mind, but I am hesitating as I can not decide how to do that. While I am in that process, I recognise the source of my dilemma, given by the authors account of reasoning, as they differentiate it, in reflexive and reflective reasoning.

As the authors stated

"As the above examples suggest, we can draw a variety of inferences rapidly, spontaneously and without conscious effort — as though they were a reflex response of our cognitive apparatus. In view of this let us describe such reasoning as reflexive (Shastri 1990).2 Reflexive reasoning may be contrasted with reflective reasoning which requires reflection, conscious deliberation, and often an overt consideration of alternatives and weighing of possibilities. Reflective reasoning takes takes longer and often requires the use of external props such as a paper and pencil. Some examples of such reasoning are solving logic puzzles, doing cryptarithmetic, or planning a vacation."

Is the clash within me, in choosing the mode of reasoning, I want to use to deal with the notions put forward. Reflexive reasoning or reflective reasoning. Though, to my mind is quite evident that my preferred way is in favour of the reflexive reasoning than reflective reasoning, as I found it to be more productive. Thus stated, I should point out that I do not ignore the significance of reflective reasoning, though I find reflexive reasoning a more suitable way to deal with problems.

By pondering on these thoughts I realize that the case on reasoning, the authors mention, do not include what I have contemplated on the matter. The matter being, that reasoning is only a small part of the brain processes that go under the much wider umbrella concept of thinking. Surpassing the limits and extending the scope by attaching the attributes associated with reasoning, as they are revealed by their findings, to be included in the attribute repertoire of the much wider concept of thinking.

Regarding reasoning the authors mention

" reasoning underlies even the most commonplace intelligent behavior."

which they see as

"One could argue that some of the steps in the above reasoning process are pre-compiled or ‘chunked’, but it would be unreasonable to claim that this entire chain of reasoning can be construed as direct retrieval or even a single step inference!"

not just a matter of retrieving information already stored, but as

"Hence, in addition to accessing lexical items, parsing, and resolving anaphoric reference, some computation similar to the above chain of reasoning must occur when the sentence in question is processed."

computations which make it possible, as in the case of language understanding to

"... language understanding, a task that we usually perform rapidly and effortlessly, depends upon our ability to make predictions, generate explanations, and recognize speaker’s plans."

predict, explain, recognize plans in other individuals minds. And all these are done rapidly and effortlessly.

It is not just reasoning that humans can perform effortlessly, as the authors point out, but even wider aspects of thinking. Adopting the authors terminology for reasoning to this wider view of mental activity, should consider referring to thinking along the same terms as reflexive and reflective thinking.

One ill that plagued me is the use of the words-symbols for attributes and properties amassed as they develop in my mind. The notion of orphan attributes and properties springs forth. Or better, as all these attributes are amassing, mainly by virtue of their associations, converge into something, which to my mind represents the concept. The matter conceived by the amassed orphan attributes.

This thought emanating, by the authors elaboration on the individual's, designated as agent, long-term knowledge base

"... it must include, besides other things, our knowledge of naive physics and naive psychology; facts about ourselves, our family and friends; facts about history and geography; our knowledge of artifacts; sports, art, and music trivia; and our models of social and civic interactions."

naively originated thoughts and in the process, being fleshed up, demand to be acknowledged and respected. Out of the chaos in my mind converging into stable attractors, forming visible structures, entities that need to be dressed up with words to symbolize their existence, and as such to become part either as attributes or any other form along the lines mentioned by the authors

"... hierarchy that represents entities, types (categories), and the super/sub-concept relations between them ..."

entities, types, categories, super/sub-concept hierarchies. To overcome their naive origins to more informed states, towards overarching and lucid meaning. From naive roots seeking out the word, the symbol to denote the converged distinct entity.

Thinking instantiates, using up the brain reflex mechanisms, named as reflex responses of human agents cognitive apparatus, taking advantage their effortless, spontaneous remarkably efficient character, to use the speed of their processing, to arrive to new knowledge quicker. Since reflexively processing the thoughts can produce many more associations than if it was processing the thoughts reflectively.

Advancing from naive, ill-, mis-, under- informed knowledge to more inclusive empowering knowledge, broadening and deepening the long-term knowledge base, towards the empowered state of an individual.

.... not just to reason but to think too.