Emergence LO10642

John Zavacki (jzavacki@wolff.com)
Tue, 22 Oct 1996 04:43:28 -0400

Replying to LO10618 --

Robert said:
(Previous reply removed, and a snip of an interesting preamble.)

> Sentience, I think, requires that we develop a sense of self (that which
> is us, and that which is not), which occurs biologically early in life and
> is one of the first wired-in tasks of the infant. Our notion of ourselves
> as both subject and object at the same time probably stems from that
> period, and the language acquisition periods.
>
> Our conceptualizations of ourselves (again a function of the brain as a
> limited capacity information processing device that attempts to organize
> and see patterns), causes us to create gestalts (patterns). We create
> notions of personality, character, etc to create a sense of continuity and
> predictablity about ourselves and others, regardless of how error prone
> they are.
>
> I agree with M.M. that self as both an actor and acted upon creates a
> duality that, really cannot be explained as a reality.

I wonder if we can honestly call the brain a "limited capacity information
processing device" without having its information content rebel? We come
into the interesting area of levels of complexity here. In the case of
the brain, we are dealing hypothetically with limits. We can estimate the
number of cells, connections, and transactions per unit time, but we are
not yet aware of the maxima of hologrammatic representations and their
storage potential for multiple gestalts within the same unit. Within
these storage spaces, on varying levels of complexity, we find the self as
actor and acted upon in many instances. The simple acts of shaving the
face, applying a bandage, reading, praying, are state changing acts of
varying degree of state and varying degree of change. The psychological
reality of such transitions is simpler (and easier to understand) at the
visually observable physical state change level that at the level of
intellection, internal transition, Metanoia, or nirvana, but I don't
really have a problem with it.

--

jzavacki@wolff.com John Zavacki The Wolff Group 800-282-1218

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>