Journal

Volume 19, Issue 2 (June 30, 2018)

9 articles

• Introduction to the Special Issue on Biological Mentality
  by Kenneth Augustyn
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 99-107;
  Abstract The Workshop on Biological Mentality took place on August 7-8, 2017 inAnn Arbor, Michigan. The term biological mentality encompasses thepresumably non-conscious capabilities of our biological ancestors as well asour own non-conscious and conscious mentality. Biological mentalityrequires a physical f... [Read more].
  Abstract The Workshop on Biological Mentality took place on August 7-8, 2017 inAnn Arbor, Michigan. The term biological mentality encompasses thepresumably non-conscious capabilities of our biological ancestors as well asour own non-conscious and conscious mentality. Biological mentalityrequires a physical foundation, one that perhaps transcends the computermetaphor. This Special Issue describes much of what was covered in theworkshop. A second workshop is scheduled for September 24-26, 2018. [Collapse]
• Electric Conduction Effects in the Neuronal Cytoskeleton Hold the Key to Our Understanding of the Biophysics of Consciousness
  by Jack A. Tuszyński
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 109-114;
  Abstract Electrical activity of the brain is the basis of our understanding ofneurophysiology. Electrical signals in the form of action potentialspropagate along axons and are relayed via synaptic connections betweenneurons. Neuronal cytoskeleton is constructed from parallel bundles ofmicrotubules interconne... [Read more].
  Abstract Electrical activity of the brain is the basis of our understanding ofneurophysiology. Electrical signals in the form of action potentialspropagate along axons and are relayed via synaptic connections betweenneurons. Neuronal cytoskeleton is constructed from parallel bundles ofmicrotubules interconnected by microtubule associated proteins (MAPs). Inthis paper we provide an overview of the electrical properties ofmicrotubules and actin filaments which act as bioelectric circuits. It is wellknown that impairment of neuronal cytoskeleton results in variousneurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, it stands to reason that theseelectrical properties of neuronal cytoskeleton are of critical importance toour understanding of consciousness as an emergent property. This shortpaper provides an overview of this issue. [Collapse]
• Coherent Energy Transfer and the Potential Implications for Consciousness
  by J. Tory Toole, P. Kurian, T. J. A. Craddock
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 115-124;
  Abstract The argument that biological systems are too “warm and wet” to supportquantum effects is becoming increasingly antiquated as research in the field ofquantum biology progresses. In fact, not only is it becoming apparent thatquantum processes may regularly take place in biological systems, but thesepr... [Read more].
  Abstract The argument that biological systems are too “warm and wet” to supportquantum effects is becoming increasingly antiquated as research in the field ofquantum biology progresses. In fact, not only is it becoming apparent thatquantum processes may regularly take place in biological systems, but theseprocesses may underlie the mechanisms of consciousness and propel our modelsof conceptualizing the human brain into the next era of scientific understanding.The phenomena of consciousness have allured scientists and philosophers forthousands of years, while a precise technical understanding has remained elusive.If possible, developing this understanding will likely be one of humanity’sgreatest achievements. Knowing the fundamental processes that create consciousexperience has far-reaching implications, from the potential birth of true artificialintelligence to a better understanding of mental health disorder etiologies andtreatments. One major challenge in the mental health professions, and, ultimately,in empathy of any kind, is being able to see from and appreciate another person’sunique, subjective experience. Discoveries in the field of consciousness couldhelp bridge this gap.Keywords: Consciousness; Coherent energy transfer; Quantum biology [Collapse]
• Acting in the World: A Physical Model of Free Choice
  by Kathryn Blackmond Laskey
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 125-163;
  Abstract As science reaches further into the cognitive domain, questions once thoughtfirmly outside the realm of science are becoming subjects of scientific inquiry.One of the foremost challenges is the relationship of our thoughts and intentionsto the world we study and manipulate. Once thought intractable,... [Read more].
  Abstract As science reaches further into the cognitive domain, questions once thoughtfirmly outside the realm of science are becoming subjects of scientific inquiry.One of the foremost challenges is the relationship of our thoughts and intentionsto the world we study and manipulate. Once thought intractable, this problemseems newly open to scientific discovery. Neurological correlates of manycognitive functions are being discovered, yielding advances in medicine andeducation. The growth of artificial intelligence raises the possibility thatintelligent behavior can be understood scientifically, formalized, and engineeredinto intelligent devices. Yet the problem of free will eludes our grasp. We have thedistinct sense that we make choices, and those choices have effects. The world isdifferent from what it would have been had we chosen otherwise. But could wereally have chosen otherwise, or are the choices we make determined by theelectrochemistry of our brains? This paper examines a proposed theory of aphysical basis for efficacious free choice, and asks whether it can beoperationalized as a concrete, falsifiable model. The hypothesized mechanisminvolves automatic generation by the brain of templates for action, which are heldin place by rapidly repeated quantum self-measurement events. A computersimulation of this model could support investigation of whether, usingbiologically plausible parameter settings, the hypothesized mechanism canproduce macroscopic behavioral effects. Ultimately, such investigations couldlead to empirical tests of the theory.Keywords: Free will, quantum Zeno effect, neural networks, structural theoryofcausation, synchronous neural oscillations [Collapse]
• Time and Space as Unpredictable Biological Constructions
  by John M. Myers, F. Hadi Madjid
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 165-193;
  Abstract Whatever we can say, we say in rhythms of symbols—e.g., words written asmarks on paper. What a mark symbolizes to us or to other agents cannot bepredicted on the basis of measurement and calculation. Without admitting anyexplicit notion of an agent, quantum theory implies a role for an unpredictable... [Read more].
  Abstract Whatever we can say, we say in rhythms of symbols—e.g., words written asmarks on paper. What a mark symbolizes to us or to other agents cannot bepredicted on the basis of measurement and calculation. Without admitting anyexplicit notion of an agent, quantum theory implies a role for an unpredictablesymbol-handling agent. To accept agents and symbols into physics is to seemechanisms, especially clocks, not in isolation but as tools that agents build andadjust as needed. We model a symbol-handling agent by combining a modifiedTuring machine with an adjustable clock, needed to allow communication ofsymbols from one agent to another.To communicate, agents must adjust their clocks so as to mesh their rhythms ofoper- ation. We call this meshing of rhythms logical synchronization and displayits features. While symbols are digital, maintaining logical synchronizationrequires something analog, idiosyncratic, and unpredictable, beyond symbols.Our main claim is that logically synchronized rhythms of symbols need not beseen as taking place in some externally supplied “space and time,” but instead arethe raw material out of which physicists construct time, space, and spacetime. Wehypothesize that all living organisms employ logically synchronized rhythms ofsymbols. We invite collaboration to explore, in a variety of contexts for peopleand other living organisms, the situations involv- ing logical synchronization ofrhythms of symbols that differ from those used in physics. Accompanying suchinitial study, we would like to see the development of mathematical expressionsof logical synchronization applicable to more complex cybernetic systems thanthose we discuss here. [Collapse]
• Mind, Agency, and Biosemiotics
  by Alexei A. Sharov
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 195-228;
  Abstract Development of artificial cognition, one of the major challenges ofcontemporary science, requires better understanding of the nature and function ofmind. This paper follows the idea of Searle that mind is more than computation,and explores the notion that mind has to be embodied in agency that activ... [Read more].
  Abstract Development of artificial cognition, one of the major challenges ofcontemporary science, requires better understanding of the nature and function ofmind. This paper follows the idea of Searle that mind is more than computation,and explores the notion that mind has to be embodied in agency that activelyinteracts with the outside world. To avoid anthropocentrism and dualism, Idevelop the concept of agency using principles of biosemiotics, a new disciplinethat integrates semiotics (science on signification and meaning) with biology. Inevolutionary terms, human cognition is an advanced form of agency that emergedfrom simpler ancestral forms in animals, plants, and single-cell organisms.Agency requires autonomy, informed choice, and goal-directedness. Thesefeatures imply a capacity of agents to select and execute actions based on internalgoals and perceived or stored signs. Agents are always constructed by parentalagents, except for the most simple primordial molecular-scale self-reproducingagents, which emerged from non-living components. The origin of life coincideswith the emergence of agency and primitive communication, where signs are notyet associated with objects, and instead used to activate or regulate actionsdirectly. The capacity of agents to perceive and categorize objects appeared laterin evolution and marks the emergence of minimal mind and advancedcommunication via object-associated signs. Combining computation withagential features such as goal-directedness, adaptability, and construction mayyield artificial systems comparable in some respects to human mind.Keywords: biosemiotics, constructivism, multi-levelness, autonomy,protosemiosis, eusemiosis, autonomous learning. [Collapse]
• Relation between Observers and Effects of Number Valuation in Science
  by Paul Benioff
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 229-251;
  Abstract This paper is a small step towards the goal of constructing a coherent theory ofphysic and mathematics together. It is based on two ideas, the localization ofmathematical systems in space or space time, and the separation of the conceptsof number from number value. The separation of number from numb... [Read more].
  Abstract This paper is a small step towards the goal of constructing a coherent theory ofphysic and mathematics together. It is based on two ideas, the localization ofmathematical systems in space or space time, and the separation of the conceptsof number from number value. The separation of number from number valuealong with the freedom of choice of number values at different points of space orspace time enables the introduction of a space or space time dependent numbervaluation field. The presence of a location dependent number value field affectstheoretical descriptions of many physical and geometric quantities. A simplegeometric example is worked out in detail, that of the length of a path.The localization of mathematical systems and the separation of number fromnumber value or meaning both emphasize the role of observers. The separation ofnumber from number value shows the role of observers in that value or meaningare conscious observer related concepts. Nothing, including numbers, has valueor meaning to an unconscious observer. The localization of mathematical systemsalso shows the role of observers in that the mathematics that is potentiallyavailable to an observer is that at the same position as is the observer. Thisrepresents the mathematical knowledge that can reside in an observers brain. Asan observer moves in space or space time, the mathematical knowledgepotentially available to the observer is the collection of mathematical systems atthe same location as the observer. It is hoped that this work, which was begun in2010, will lead to a better understanding of the relation between the foundationsof mathematics and physics, and the role that observers play in this relation.Keywords: choice freedom of number values; local mathematical systems;observers, number values, and local systems [Collapse]
• The Four Great Mysteries of the Mind-Brain Problem
  by Steven Lehar
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 253-281;
  Abstract There are four prominent properties of the mind that pose the greatest challengeto neuroscience and the mind-brain problem. The first is the unity of consciousexperience: We experience every object in perception at a specific location in theglobal sphere of surrounding experience, and the whole asse... [Read more].
  Abstract There are four prominent properties of the mind that pose the greatest challengeto neuroscience and the mind-brain problem. The first is the unity of consciousexperience: We experience every object in perception at a specific location in theglobal sphere of surrounding experience, and the whole assembly of perceptionshangs together as a single unified structure. The second great mystery is themanifestly pictorial nature of visual experience: We see the world as asurrounding structure that is explicitly three-dimensional and spatial. The thirdgreat mystery is the holistic nature of perception as revealed by Gestalt theory, orthe way that the global percept emerges from the parallel influence of countlessindividual features simultaneously. The fourth is the invariance evident inperception, whereby objects maintain their structural integrity and recognizedidentity even as they rotate, translate, and scale by perspective in their motionsthrough the world. The world itself appears stable, even as our head and eyes andbrain rotate relative to that world. These four perplexing properties of mind posesuch a profound challenge to theories of brain function as a basis for mind, thathistorically they have been largely ignored, if not actively “explained away”, asif they had no relevance to the mind-brain problem. I propose that these fourmysterious properties of mind are not unrelated, but in fact they are intimatelyrelated, and they collectively implicate a unified, pictorial, holistic, and invariantprinciple of computation and representation in the brain. Far from ignoring thesemost perplexing properties of mind, neurscience would do well to pay closeattention to the computational principles that they implicate collectively. [Collapse]
• Complexity and Possible Emergence of Intelligence in Bacterial Collectives
  by Martin Robert
  J. CS. 2018, 19(2), 283-284;
  Abstract (No Abstract)CommentaryBacteria are often described as unicellular organisms, but they are oftenfound in the wild and in the laboratory in highly organized structurescontaining a large number of cells. These include macro-colonies andbiofilms that can display highly complex structur... [Read more].
  Abstract (No Abstract)CommentaryBacteria are often described as unicellular organisms, but they are oftenfound in the wild and in the laboratory in highly organized structurescontaining a large number of cells. These include macro-colonies andbiofilms that can display highly complex structures (Ben-Jacob et al. 2998,Serra et al. 2013). [Collapse]