TPF : Short Theory of Consciousness

[Gnomon]

Self organization fits beautifully as the cause of evolution where the main thrust is determined, but with a slight random element. — Pop

That is also how I view Evolution. Many scientists emphasize the "random element" to conclude that it has no direction, no teleology. But Natural Selection seems to apply specific criteria to define fitness for each fork in the chain of causation. That specification is a result of what I call "EnFormAction", Pure randomness would have no direction or pattern. But enformed randomness provides a degree of freedom within the constraints of cause & effect determinism.

EnFormAction :
Ententional Causation. A proposed metaphysical law of the universe that causes random interactions between forces and particles to produce novel & stable arrangements of matter & energy.

[Gnomon]

How do you resolve the bias, or natural tendency or inclination towards order. As far as I can reason it, it is emotional information. — Pop

I suspect that what you call "emotional information" is what I'm calling "intention". Repeated signs of intention (directional ; goal-oriented ; teleological) is what we call a "Trend" or "Tendency". In humans, an inclination toward some effect has an internal cause, which we call "Motivation" or "Emotion". In my thesis, I call the ultimate motivator, the Enformer : the source of both Momentum (inertial energy) and Direction (regulation, laws). Metaphorically, it's the Pool Shooter, who wants to put the eight-ball into the corner pocket. :joke:

Intention :
Intention is a mental state that represents a commitment to carrying out an action or actions in the future.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intention
purpose or attitude toward the effect of one's actions or conduct:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/intention

The universe could have been an infinite number of different ways, but it chose just one way of being - a being towards order. — Pop

To say that the universe chose its "own way of being" implies that it is conscious and teleological : already a sentient being, who chooses a career. But, I see no evidence that the Temporal Universe As A Whole -- which contains sentient beings -- has reached the point of sentience.So again, I think the impetus that set this physical system on a certain path must have come from outside the system : from an eternal Multiverse, or an eternal Mind. Hence, the "way of being" of our world seems to have been set in the initial conditions (program) of the Big Bang.

It seems frustratingly stupid to me, to think we can posses a singular quality nothing else in the universe possesses, although it is the prevalent dogma. We have a higher functioning form of consciousness, but everything possesses it to some degree. — Pop

Again, I make a distinction between the highly-evolved Consciousness (information processing) of humans, and the simpler exchanges of energy (EnFormAction) at the lowest levels of the world system. This cosmic hierarchy is enformed by EnFormAction at all levels, but only the peak of the pyramid is fully self-conscious. Pure Information is Mathematical & Logical (1 : 2 & one is related to two as . . .), but in its "higher functioning form", the information is Mental : conceptual & self-referential. Hence, Information (energy + laws) seems to be the "singular quality" that everything in the universe possesses. :chin:

Central to the self organizing system is an attractor, rather then a causal element, that is not to say causation can be excluded . — Pop

Yes. In Chaos Theory, a "strange attractor" seems to organize an otherwise random system into a relatively stable form, like a whirlpool in a calm pond. The proximate cause is not obvious within the random background. But the seeds of order (bias) are always lurking even within seeming chaos.

In his 2007 book, I Am A Strange Loop, Douglas Hofstadter claimed to have solved the Mind/Body problem by pointing to the Self-Reference & Recursion found in many dynamic systems. His conclusion was that he (his self, his soul) was a manifestation of a Strange Attractor, which spontaneously emerged from within the random collisions of particles in the physical system of the world.

Yet again, although a world-class genius, he was thinking inside the box. It's true that the seeds-of-self are innate in the world system of physics. But, like the old chicken & egg conundrum, it seems to result in an infinite regress, with no final solution. That's why I ask, "where did the seed of Life & Mind come from?". Even a seemingly self-creating Strange Attractor requires a system already programmed with the potential for new forms to arise from a patternless background.

Quine : A quine is a computer program which takes no input and produces a copy of its own source code as its only output. The standard terms for these programs in the computability theory and computer science literature are "self-replicating programs", "self-reproducing programs", and "self-copying programs". [ Note : the program still requires an external programmer ]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quine_(computing)

lorenz.gif

The hard problem of consciousness is only hard from a dualists perspective, from a monists - its hard to see there is a problem! — Pop

That's why my thesis is a Monism : the single Universal Substance (Spinoza) is Generic Information, or EnFormAction (the power to create novel forms). Hence, the Mind/Body knot unravels after you realize that both Mind & Matter are constructs of Energy + Laws.

Information :
When spelled with an “I”, Information is a noun, referring to data & things. When spelled with an “E”, Enformation is a verb, referring to energy and processes.
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page11.html

- an emotion! Can an emotion be fundamental? Can an emotion explain the why of gravity, and physical laws? Does it underpin Enformy? — Pop

Emotions are the motivating force of human behavior. But I don't know what would motivate a World Creator to devise an evolving system of Energy + Laws, that cause such things as Gravity and Humanity to emerge from the random swirling of atoms.

[Gnomon]

Central to the self organizing system is an attractor, rather then a causal element, that is not to say causation can be excluded . — Pop

FWIW, here's a quote from my blog post explaining the neologism of "EnFormAction".

Attractor :
EnFormAction is not a physical force, pushing objects around. It’s more like Gravity and Strange Attractors of Physics that “pull” stuff toward them. It is in effect a Teleological Attractor. How that “spooky action at a distance” works may be best explained by Terrence Deacon’s definition of “Absence”.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LW5JAS/re ... TF8&btkr=1
Deacon sees opportunities for unification by reintegrating “absence-based causality into science”

Note : Deacon's "Absence" is similar to Aristotle's "Potential".

[Gnomon]

The way I understand it is that in a universe biased towards order, all of its component parts must also be biased towards order. — Pop

Ironically, the world model of Physics seems to be primarily biased toward disorder (entropy), so like an explosion of fireworks, it's all downhill after the Big Bang. However, physics also has discovered pockets of order within this dying cosmos, such as galaxies & stars & solar systems. And within our own local system, as far as we know, only Earth has fostered the emergence of Life & Mind. But physics has no good explanation for how or why those small pockets of negentropy could emerge, if the universe is a one-way street to "heat death". So, it's not physically true that "all parts are biased towards order".

In my thesis though, I have proposed a natural phenomenon that reverses that trend toward disorder, allowing Life & Mind & Culture to emerge from the random roiling of atoms. I call that bias toward order, "Enformy". It causes order within a context of disorder. It allows Life to arise from non-living matter. And it facilitated the emergence of Mind from mindless matter. Matter is indeed a form of Information, but only minds are conscious. Information (like energy) can be both positive and negative. But Life & Mind & Awareness are positive results of a mostly negative trend toward a cold dark end. Therefore, Consciousness seems to be the exception rather than the rule in our Universe. :chin:

Enformy :
In the Enformationism theory, Enformy is a hypothetical, holistic, metaphysical, natural trend or force, [or bias] that counteracts Entropy & Randomness to produce complexity & progress.

Your understanding seems largely grounded in physics which blocks out the emotion and bias, and so cannot answer the why of cause . . . . In my view, your Enformer ( energy + information ) lacks the impetus provided by emotion. — Pop

Yes. My worldview is indeed based on discoveries of Science, and especially Physics, that indicate the ubiquitous workings of Information (EnFormAction) in the world. But my thesis followed the physical evidence back to a metaphysical explanation for Life & Mind & Emotion & Bias.

But physics gives us no information about the Prime Mover that lit the fire leading to human Emotions. So I don't pretend to know what motivated the original Enformer to create an imperfect world that was already dying from the word "go". Unlike most Theists, I don't attribute human emotions to the abstract First Cause. Yet, logically that Source of all things must have possessed the Potential for such messy motivators as fear, love, hate, happiness, sadness, disgust & anger. Those are all variations on a single dichotomy : Positive vs Negative. Which are also the fundamental elements of Generic Information : (1 / 0), (+ / -), (yes / no), (hot / cold), etc. So, there must have been some "Why", some "Purpose" that broke the static symmetry of equally balanced possibilities, to allow a bias toward Order & Life & Mind & yes . . . emotions.

Meta-Physics :
4. Physics refers to the things we perceive with the eye of the body. Meta-physics refers to the things we conceive with the eye of the mind. Meta-physics includes the properties, and qualities, and functions that make a thing what it is. Matter is just the clay from which a thing is made. Meta-physics is the design (form, purpose); physics is the product (shape, action). The act of creation brings an ideal design into actual existence. The design concept is the “formal” cause of the thing designed.
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page14.html

If your Enformer also possessed emotion, then with energy, information, and emotion would be equal to consciousness, which is equal to self organization. I have noticed that Donald Hoffman has recently received tenure, so it seems there is some momentum in this direction. — Pop

If my Enformer possessed human-like emotions, S/he would have to also possess a humanoid body -- the generator of visceral feelings -- like most of the god-models of human civilizations. But, since I have no revelation from G*D, I can't say with any authority what G*D is like. That's why I assume that G*D has no Actual attributes, but only infinite Potential for all possible qualities.

S/he : a contraction of the gender pronouns to indicate that G*D is neither male nor female, but has the potential for creating both male & female beings, with positive & negative bodies (i.e. innies & outies).

Donald Hoffman : http://bothandblog6.enformationism.info/page21.html

[Gnomon]

Everything is made from three self organizing things - electrons, neutrons, and protons. — Pop

In what sense are those particles "self-organizing"? Don't they require pre-existing natural laws and energy to organize Potential Matter into specific measurable arrangements (patterns) of energy & mass? The currently accepted theory of matter says that invisible formless fields, not particles, are fundamental. The emergent particles are imagined as Virtual Particles that exist only in statistical Potential until some mysterious perturbation goads them into physical Actual existence. Before that actualization event they exist only as unreal in-commensurable mathematical probabilities in an algebraic equation. Anyway, those ghostly virtual particles don't voluntarily self-organize into real physical particles. Instead, they only jump like a frog when poked with a stick. :joke:

Virtual Particles : We often hear the word ‘virtual particle’ in physics and pop-sci explanations of quantum field theory. But, in reality, there are no such things as virtual particles. Today we will explore why (and how) virtual particles are needed, and also why they don’t exist.
https://medium.com/einsteins-cup-of-tea ... 82de3c1627

[Gnomon]

The second law of thermodynamics fails in the case of a rectangular closed environment, disorder levels of and no longer increases - Heat death would not occur! — Pop

Then that would be an exception to the rule. In fact, even your example would require Maxwell's imaginary "demon" -- a spiritual entity -- to sort-out hot from cold particles. The Thermodynamic Law still prevails, until magic is used to overcome physics. :joke:

Maxwell's Demon : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon
340px-Maxwell%27s_demon.svg.png

but yes you have a point if the universe is a closed system, and If it falls to equilibrium, which it is not going to do any time soon. — Pop

The Law of Thermodynamics assumes, as an axiom, that our universe is a closed system, with no divine (or demonic) interventions. But, scientists still admit that the world is open-ended at both ends : a> in the Big Bang, inputs of laws & energy ; b> at the Final Freeze, the heat death of the whole system. Admittedly, some physicists conjecture that some of the energy & laws could leak-out of the system via Black Hole tunnels into the infinite world outside our little verse. But, they are still searching for evidence --- along with persistent UFO believers.

Heat-Death-Pic-1fqgdlh-300x112.png

Its a hard thing to say, -- why? -- and we say it for slightly different reasons, but it seems logical and true. — Pop

Yes. The human mind understands the world in terms of logic & meaning. Logic implies a chain of cause & effect, but what was the First Cause? And meaning implies Purpose, but whose teleological intention could be invoked to explain the temporary existence of our running-down world, with pockets of anti-themodynamic Enformy? Whether my thesis is True or not, is too soon to say.

Cosmic Progression Path : http://bothandblog3.enformationism.info/page28.html

[Gnomon]

What about the black holes? What is dark matter and energy? How would things change if we understood the other 85%?? — Pop

Originally, Black Holes were assumed to permanently remove Information (energy + matter) from circulation in the universe. Now, some physicists speculate that black holes may be tunnels from our known universe out into the hypothetical Multiverse. Until they find some evidence to support that possibility, I won't attempt to fit those Information Leaks into my Enformationism thesis.

Black hole information paradox : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hol ... on_paradox

Likewise with Dark Matter, which is postulated to be composed of Non-Baryonic matter. Like the mythical Unicorn, I won't include such stuff into my worldview, until a real specimen has been captured and examined, to see if the horn is glued on. Like all forms of EnFormAction and Energy, we only know of its existence by inferring from its effects on the material world. What it actually is (consists of), remains unknown. Gravity is no longer assumed to be a pulling Force, but merely the geometric shape (form) of empty enformed space. So, maybe "Dark Matter" is also immaterial, and merely an aberration in the geometry of space. By that, I mean, it's an unknown form of Information/EnFormAction/Energy.

Energy :
Scientists define “energy” as the ability to do work, but don't know what energy is. They assume it's an eternal causative force that existed prior to the Big Bang, along with mathematical laws. Energy is a positive or negative relationship between things, and physical Laws are limitations on the push & pull of those forces. So, all they know is what Energy does, which is to transform material objects in various ways. Energy itself is amorphous & immaterial. So if you reduce energy to its essence of information, it seems more akin to mind than matter.
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page8.html

I have my own speculation about the Dark Energy that is supposedly causing the accelerated expansion of the universe. I don't know enough about the inertia from the Big Bang that is propelling all matter away from the original pinpoint Singularity. But, if the energy of Inertia is affected by "friction", I'm guessing that the speed of expansion would increase as the mutual gravitational pull of galaxies diminished as the square of the increasing distance. The result might appear to be due to added energy, but could instead be due to subtraction of gravitational "drag".

Newtonian Inertia Law Number One : Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
https://insights.ltadvisors.com/blog/th ... -selection
But, what if the "external force" (gravity) is diminished due to increasing distance? Would the mass of the universe fly apart even faster? If so, as the drag of mutual gravity lessens, the inertial energy of expansion might increase, causing the original motion to speed up.

Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to any change in its velocity.

[Gnomon]

I like it. It seems the rate of change is ever increasing. But in complexity theory the curve progresses and then suddenly collapses, like the Bronze Age , Roman empire, etc. — Pop

Complexity Theory applies to isolated chaotic systems, which have a limited lifespan. But the Cosmos seems to be gradually organizing itself (self-organization) despite the pull (bias) of Entropy back into a chaotic state.

So, the lifespan of the organic universe may be limited only by the supply of Energy/Information that remains in circulation, after eons of Entropy have wasted it away. However, notice that, in the Cosmic Progression Graph, the curve remains Asymptotic to the vertical line defining the complete exhaustion of Energy/Information. Hence, the lifespan of the physical universe is finite, and will never cross the finish line at Infinity.

Asymptote : a line that a curve approaches, but never touches, as it heads towards infinity

PS__A more optimistic (imaginative) version of the graph could show a new curve springing off from the Omega Point. That would be a new universe, and a new world, powered by the recycled Enformation/Energy from the original cycle of world creation. But that fantasy is so far-out, that my puny mind can't make sense of how it would work. Unless of course, the Programmer chooses to plug the data from the first calculation into a new program, for another pass at achieving perfection. Objection, your honor! Pure speculation!

[Gnomon]

A think it is fair enough to say that the universe is biased towars order. It is true at least for the local observed universe, in local time. — Pop

Cosmologists, looking at the universe as a whole system, conclude that it began in a hot & dense state, and is inexorably moving toward a cold & diffuse state. A rather dismal outlook. But, on a brighter note, they also observe that there is at least one pocket of organization that is like Goldilock's porridge : "just right" for Life & Mind. Our little planet happens to be in the habitable zone of not too hot & not too cold. To them, that rare coincidence looks like a random accident. So, even those, who are looking for habitable planets outside our solar system, would conclude that the universe as-a-whole is biased toward disorder. And that conclusion confirms their disbelief in a benevolent intelligent creator.

But I take a different angle on the Design-versus-Accident question. In my theory of Intelligent Evolution, I postulate that our world was not designed from the top-down, as in Genesis. Instead, it is designing itself (self-organizing) from the bottom-up via Evolutionary Programming. The metamorphosis program relies on randomness (accidents) to scramble existing forms, thereby allowing novel patterns to emerge -- not by accident, but by intention. Those viable emergent forms then compete among themselves to gain merit (fitness) with the Programmer, who established the criteria for passing-on to the next generation. Therefore, the universe is generally chaotic, but contains a seed of EnFormAction, which is indeed biased toward order.

Intelligent Evolution :
The Enformationism world-view and the BothAnd philosophy are based on a composite personal under-standing of how the world works. It’s a blend of both empirical scientific facts and theoretical religious myths. It accepts the general concept of natural evolution, but offers a detailed hypothesis to explain how that cause & effect process began from a primordial act of causation. The thesis developed from that kernel will seem un-scientific to some, and blasphemous to others. But it’s intended to be a reasonable theory derived from commonly accepted facts, plus a few notions from the cutting-edge of 21st century knowledge.
http://bothandblog5.enformationism.info/page2.html

Evolutionary Programming :
Special computer algorithms inspired by biological Natural Selection. It is similar to Genetic Programming in that it relies on internal competition between random alternative solutions to weed-out inferior results, and to pass-on superior answers to the next generation of algorithms. By means of such optimizing feedback loops, evolution is able to make progress toward the best possible solution – limited only by local restraints – to the original programmer’s goal or purpose. In Enformationism theory the Prime Programmer is portrayed as a creative deity, who uses bottom-up mechanisms, rather than top-down miracles, to produce a world with both freedom & determinism, order & meaning.
http://blog-glossary.enformationism.info/page13.html

[Gnomon]

We cannot conceptualize emotions we can only feel them.
We cannot conceptualize energy, we can only feel it. 80% - any thoughts?
Therefore emotion is a form of energy / enformation ?? - a force? — Pop

Yes. Human emotions are hormonal effects that produce the feelings we crudely categorize as happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, and anger. However, in various contexts, those basic feelings interact to form more complex sensations that also have names, but are still too complex to define succinctly in words.

Those hormones & neurotransmitters are chemical causes of neural changes that result in outward bodily behaviors. So, in that sense, they are motivating forms of physical Energy. And physical Energy is one form of what I call Generic Information or EnFormAction : the power to cause changes in form. Another type of Generic Information is the non-physical Vital Force that ancient sages observed in living organisms, but modern science has not pinned-down to a particular physical substance. Ironically, the ordinary Energy, that physicists take for granted, is also an invisible, intangible, immaterial causal force. And it's obvious that one of its many forms is the visceral motivations that we call Emotions.