Mind out of matter : topics in the physical foundations of consciousness and cognition
This dissertation begins with an exploration of a brand of dual aspect monism and some problems deriving from the distinction between a first person and third person point of view. I continue with an outline of one way in which the conscious experience of the subject might arise from organisational properties of a material substrate. With this picture to hand, I first examine theoretical features at the level of brain organisation which may be required to support conscious experience and then discuss what bearing some actual attributes of biological brains might have on such experience. I conclude the first half of the dissertation with comments on information processing and with artificial neural networks meant to display simple varieties of the organisational features initially described abstractly. While the first half begins with a view of conscious experience and infers downwards in the organisational hierarchy to explore neural features suggested by the view, attention in the second half shifts towards analysing low level dynamical features of material substrates and inferring upwards to possible effects on experience. There is particular emphasis on clarifying the rĂŽle of chaotic dynamics, and I discuss
Mulhauser, Gregory Robert
Mind out of matter : topics in the physical foundations of consciousness and cognition. This dissertation begins with an exploration of a brand of dual aspect monism and some problems deriving from the distinction between a first person and third person point of view. I continue with an outline of one way in which the conscious experience of the subject might arise from organisational properties of a material substrate. With this picture to hand, I first examine theoretical features at the level of brain organisation which may be required to support conscious experience and then discuss what bearing some actual attributes of biological brains might have on such experience. I conclude the first half of the dissertation with comments on information processing and with artificial neural networks meant to display simple varieties of the organisational features initially described abstractly. While the first half begins with a view of conscious experience and infers downwards in the organisational hierarchy to explore neural features suggested by the view, attention in the second half shifts towards analysing low level dynamical features of material substrates and inferring upwards to possible effects on experience. There is particular emphasis on clarifying the rĂŽle of chaotic dynamics, and I discuss
mind matter topic physical foundation consciousness cognition begin_exploration brand dual aspect monism problem derive distinction first_person third_person point_view continue outline one_way conscious experience_subject might arise organisational property material substrate picture hand first_examine theoretical feature level brain organisation may require support conscious experience discus bear actual attribute biological brain might experience conclude first_half comment information process artificial neural network mean display simple variety organisational feature initially describe first_half begin view conscious experience downwards organisational hierarchy explore neural feature suggest view attention second_half shift_towards analyse low_level dynamical feature material substrate infer upwards possible effect experience particular_emphasis clarify chaotic dynamic discus