Sixth Sense
From Mbscientific_wiki
Conclusion: The abstract nature of Inherent Reality, the mind as the sixth sense, transcendental abstraction
Being physical creatures, we naturally perceive reality as physical, that which registers on our 5 senses. The abstract is typically considered as the domain of thought. And everything that we have covered so far tells us that we have it exactly backwards. Inherent reality, the universe itself is inherently abstract. The part of it which registers on our minds and forms corroborated abstractions is a subset of that inherent reality. And the subset of that, which registers on our 5 senses is what to us is physical reality. And as our domain of abstraction expands, as we perceive more of the inherent abstract reality in a corroborated manner, our aperture of perception expands, our very notion of what is physical expands.
In a way perhaps the mind is the most powerful sensory organ of all. It integrates all of the inputs from the 5 sensory organs and models the abstract reality. It can construct new realities incrementally by assembling together what is known. It can also perceive holes in the realm of what is known. It constantly attempts to fill those holes in any which way it can, mostly by trial and error if it can, stuff of practical science, or by superstition or religion if all else fails. It needs closure. And the closure of those holes are the stuff of transcendental abstraction. Most of the attempts at closure may turn out to be bunk. But when on occasion the mind succeeds in finding a closure, and a new transcendental abstraction is corroborated and implemented, then entirely new realities are born.
So maybe the mind is that sixth sense that the myths elude to, the organ that can perceive the patterns of the past, that can conceive the possibilities of the future. In an abstract universe the mind is the sensory organ that perceives and implements abstraction, thereby expanding the very notion of reality and in the bargain actualizing our social/cultural evolution, our morphological flows.
You might note that our knowledge forms to support the same 6 major functionalities that we have covered in biotic morphogenesis: metabolic, replication, structural, sensor-motor, signaling and communication, defense and immunity. In us, they manifest themselves as consumables, sexual behaviors and rituals, mobility, homes-neighborhoods-cities, books-films-multimedia, arms and armies, but if you look at them closely, they are the same 6 major functionalities.
And evolution of ideas exhibit the same 3 primal signatures of morphological flows that we encountered in material morphogenesis:
1- You have attractor/repulsive forces as impetus for evolution of ideas, memetic evolution. Ideas are attractive or repulsive. They move people or push them away. People coalesce around good ideas. And good ideas form to support the 6 major functionalities enumerate above.
2- Chaotic Dynamics are in tact. Ideas radiate in every which way. Good ideas are adopted, they find a niche, coalesce and perpetuate, bad ones don't. That is the essence of natural selection for ideas, practices.
3- The spectra of ideas is full. From simple things we teach small children to complex practices of a professional life, the spectra is full. In fact they assemble hierarchically. You can't do the complex practices unless you have mastered the simple things first. With the floor of behavioral simplicity fixed, morphological flows push up the ceiling of complexity.
Chapter Key:
Morphological Flows, entities going through functional constructs thereby creating more complex entities with more complex functionalities:
fore,mid, hind brain == evolution ==> triune brain
Inherent Reality: Abstract == perception, affirmation, memorizing ==> abstraction (atomic knowledge element)
atomic knowledge elements == classification ==> super, subclasses comprising knowledge trees (knowledge genres)
knowledge trees == personal and social corroboration ==> beliefs, truths and facts</b>
knowledge trees == memetic evolution ==> societal and cultural absorption, advancement and expansion
Courses
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Brain-and-Cognitive-Sciences/9-00Fall-2004/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 9.00 Introduction to Psychology
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-500Spring-2007/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 24.500 Topics in Philosophy of Mind: Perceptual Experience
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-00Fall-2005/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 24.00 Problems of Philosophy
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-01Spring-2006/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 24.01 Classics in Western Philosophy
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-09Spring-2007/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 24.09 Minds and Machines
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-200Fall-2004/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 24.200 Ancient Philosophy
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-221Fall-2005/CourseHome/index.htm - MIT OpenCourseWare - 24.221 Metaphysics
Links
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