Obviously, the potential for Mind must have been embedded in the laws of nature that emerged from the Big Bang. Which implies that Evolution is merely a series of unfoldings: Primal Singularity from Eternal Mind; Raw Energy from Singularity; Matter from Energy; Life from Matter/Energy; and eventually Mind from the interacting complexities of all that came before.
—-gnomon
Excerpt from blog
Cybernetics / Systems Theory :
The complexities of modern mechanical and computer and social systems mandated that scientists develop a method of understanding a multi-part system as a single, dynamic, interacting whole rather than a collection of isolated things. Systems Theory calls a pile of inert sand a “heap”, and the same sand mixed with a matrix of cement and reinforcing bars a “system”. The difference between them is the inter-communication of information (in the form of forces) which allows the collection of elements to function together as an integrated whole–-in other words : organized complexity. The old Reductive methods of analyzing things was useless for studying the active structure and behavior of biological organisms, for example. As soon as you dissect a live frog, the dynamic system begins to break-down into the static state we call death. The Systems Approach has also been called Holism in non-scientific contexts. Yet ironically, the modern usage of the term was originally applied to the intricacies of Evolutionary science by J. P. Smuts in his 1930 book, HOLISM AND EVOLUTION [22].
This new way of doing science has opened-up unexplored territories in all disciplines by enlarging the frame of reference from small parts to larger wholes. As a result, universal principles of Systematics have been discovered that are analogous to physical laws. Any system is defined by the character of the elements or components and the relationships or forces acting between them. And it’s those relationships that relate to the subject of this thesis. In mathematical terms the mental relationship between two physical things is called a “ratio”–-the root of “Reason” and “Rational”—a function of Mind, but not of Brain. Which implies that the most important aspect of any system is the mental component that links dead matter into an organic, enterprising network.
Perhaps the most complex and dynamic system in the universe is the human brain, with its essential function : Mind. Yet the purpose of that mass of physical neural networks, with billions of nodes and links, is to produce non-physical, holistic phenomena such as Consciousness and Thought and Behavior. So far, no one has figured-out how an orgy of physical activity can transform into Ideas, and Feelings, and Experiences. The simple, elemental brain processes eventually fade into a haze of interconnected intricacy, which screens the emergence of Mind from our direct observation.
The modern science of Cybernetics evolved from Systems Theory specifically to deal with the command and control operations of complex mechanical and computer systems. Scientists study the flow of information through the various channels of communication, noting transitions, transformations, and feedback loops. One group has developed a cybernetic philosophy they call Metasystem Transition Theory, which traces the history of the universe from Big Bang to the emergence of Life and Mind [23]. In their Cybernetic Manifesto, the Principia Cybernetica Project authors make some surprising assertions that resonate with the Enformationism hypothesis. “When a number of systems become integrated so that a new level of control emerges, we say that a metasystem has formed”. Thus beginning to explain the mysterious phenomenon of Emergence, whereby something with novel characteristics arises from something old. Which in turn helps to make sense of the definition of a Holon : a whole system which is a thing unto itself, and at the same time a part of a larger system.The meta-system may not be new stuff, but a different arrangement of old stuff, with a form and function that did not exist explicitly in the original whole. What’s new is the pattern rather than the physical elements (as when water suddenly changes from liquid to a crystalline snowflake). There is no actual dividing line between the new Order, caused by the process of In-Formation, and the old order. The transition is invisible to the eye, but not to the pattern-seeking mind. Another surprising statement in the Manifesto says that, “[a Pantheistic] God is the highest level of control in the Universe”. And that Ultimate Principle is assumed to be the source of all subsequent acts of In-Formation and transformation. ●
Consciousness / Mind Theory :
Another application of the systems approach is the study of such non-physical concepts as Consciousness, Self, and Mind. These immaterial aspects of the human condition are known in philosophical circles as “the hard problem”. The exact nature of consciousness has been debated for eons. It is perhaps the most complex and complicated issue that deep thinkers have attempted to analyze. But in recent years the holistic Systems approach has begun to penetrate the secret places of the human mind, not by further analysis, but by observing the brain/mind system as a whole. In the 1950s B.F. Skinner avoided the issue by focusing on easily observable behavior, and treating the brain as a simple “black box” with measurable inputs and outputs. However, two recent technological developments have allowed researchers to peer into the once opaque brain, and to gain some understanding of the motives behind the behavior.
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NEURAL NETWORK
HOLON
Arthur Koestler coined the term to denote the bulding block of Holistic theory, which is also the philosophical basis of Systems theory. A Holon is a thing unto itself, but as an element of a larger whole it transcends its own limitations to go beyond self. A “Holarchy” is a system of systems. The glue that holds a holon together is information relationships.
—- Bernard Haisch, astrophysicist
If the information in our heads is quantum information rather than classical information, then our minds take on a whole new dimension. . . . the quantum computer might be where our consciousness resides.
—- Charles Seife
Decoding the Universe
ABSTRACT IDEAS
Mental states are invisible and weightless . . . The content of a belief lives in a different realm from the facts of the world.
—-Steven Pinker
How the Mind works
Integrated Information
Theory : a blend of Systems and Information theories to explain the mystery of consciousness.
