Conciousness

Jeff Hawkins

• Theory of mind
• 7 levels of interaction
• Perception input – filtered by expected input
• Differences – filtered by expected differences
• Ditto up to level 7 where we become “aware”
• Humans are “predictive” machines
• Your brain is predicting...

Daniel Dennet's take

• We aren't as conscious as we might think
• Unaware of changes – illusions vs perception
• Built-in bias, “being conscious, I know what it is … and it can't be that simple”
• The brain seems to be quite happy will the illusion of completeness
• The “prediction” is assumed

Six Impossible Things

• We seek explanations – Stories
• We will fill in the missing parts
• Explaining “Memes” are sticky
• Which is why we hold “Beliefs”

Nova Science Now

• Emergence
• Ever increasing complexity
• yields structure – order
• Design “emerges” – Big Bang to Galaxies
• Organic chemicals to cells
• (Comets have both amino acids & water)
• Complex cell structures to consciousness

Jill Bolte Taylor

• Stroke of insight
• Internal experience of losing ½ her mind
• Practical differences between left and right brain
• Scientific American Oct. 09
• “Pills to make you smart”
• Cognitive Enhancement ----> H+
• “Speculative Ethics”
• What if there is a pill that
• Makes you smarter?
• Helps your memory?
• Etc … like steroids do for athletes

“Listening to Prozac”; Peter Kramer