Re: Reflectivity solved. Consciousness Explained.
(Reflectivity and Consciousness Part 2 - Strategies For Attacking The Puzzles) Consider the two hypotheses put forward. I have suggested that an effective communication system, consciousness and reflectivity are all the same thing. This is the means through which the sub-agents of the mind talk to each in order to integrate their behaviour. And so intimate does the link between mathematics and knowledge appear to be - when we consider algorithms as 'dynamical mathematical objects' the picture we are drawn to suggests a network of 'knowledge nodes' with consciousness itself as the DP Modelling Language of the mind. Bring together the ideas suggested and a new strategy for solving reflectivity suggests itself. Solving Reflectivity *Firstly, stop searching for the oxy-moronic 'Reflective Decision Theory'. There isn't one. Reflectivity, we have established, is not in the decision making business, it's in the communications business. The tools we should be deploying to solve reflectivity are the tools of Communication Theory, *not* the tools of Decision Theory. *Secondly, bring to bear the tools that already exist for an analogous field: the field of data communications. Deploy the language of nodes, time messaging and networking. *Thirdly, investigate further the connections between the computer science and the pure mathematical sciences to obtain further insights and unifications of helpful concepts. Model mathematics using the object oriented paradigm and consider algorithms as 'mathematical objects' which can have states, identities and behaviours. This approach leads naturally to the big idea that consciousness is 'The DP Modelling Language Of The Mind' *Draw analogies to other fields of mathematics to obtain clues about specific tools for use in attacking reflectivity puzzles. For instance, concepts from Calculus are suspected to be relevant. Recall that Reflection was considered to be 'a network of interacting knowledge nodes' and 'a system of interacting dynamical mathematical objects'. These are concepts roughly analogous to physical objects moving through fields, which is modelling using Calculus. The concept of a 'Limit' looks important. Considering again our cognitive network of interacting sub-agents, unified behaviour involves moving the system towards an optimal 'Limit'. This again, brings to mind the concept of a 'Limit' from the branch of calculus, for calculus itself is the science of limits. Conclusion A sketch of some new perspectives was here suggested for attacking the puzzles of consciousness and reflectivity. It was suggested that reflectivity is not what it is believed to be. It is not, it was here argued, a part of Decision Theory, but instead should be thought of as part of Communication Theory. Two core hypotheses were suggested. (1) That the function of consciousness is as an internal communication system of the mind which enables sub-agents to interact effectively and (2) That reflectivity can be considered as a network of interacting dynamical 'mathematical objects' (knowledge nodes) which points to an equivalence between reflectivity and consciousness and suggests that conscious itself is the 'DP Modelling Language Of The Mind'. A few more specific ideas were suggested, namely that the mathematics of Calculus (and especially the concept of a 'Limit') could be highly relevant to the solution to the twin puzzles of consciousness and reflectivity. -- (Whew). Done. (Marc winks at the world and grins) 'Reflectivity and Consciousness' by Marc Geddes 22nd August, 2007 Auckland, New Zealand --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To post to this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
Reflectivity solved. Consciousness Explained.
Here is out-lined the sketch of a strategy for attacking the puzzles of reflectivity and consciousness. Reflectivity is the puzzle how a cognitive system can effectively reason about its own internel processes - reasoning about reasoning. Consciousness is here used in the sense of subjective experience, including sensations and feelings. The strategy considers Reflectivity not to be a part of decision making, but rather as a system of internal communciation. Consciousness is considered as a mathematical proccess strongly associated with knowledge representation. It is argued that consciousness and reflectivity are one and the same one. --- A long standing puzzle in decision theory is how decision theory could be applied to itself - that is, how could the cognitive provesses of decision making be applied to reason about these very proccesses (reflection). The reason there is not yet any 'Reflective Decision Theory' is likely to be that the very concept itself is ill- conceived. That is, there is no 'Reflective Decision Theory'. Concepts of 'Utility', goals and decisions about how to most effectively achieve these goals are the domain of a cognitive 'decision making' system. And 'Decision Theory' is the science of such systems. But the concepts can only be applied to 'external goals' (i.e goals in the external world). To attempt to solve 'Reflectivity' by trying to deploy the same concepts of decision theory to the internal workings of the cognitive system is simply an invalid use of these concepts. The first step to solving reflectivity then, involves attempting to ascertain the true nature of 'Reflection'. For 'Reflectivity' is *not* in fact, in the decision making business. The true role of 'Reflection' it seems is *Communciation*. That is to say, it appears that 'Reflectivity' should be thought of, not as part of *Decision Theory*, but instead as part of *Communication Theory*. This is because any cognitive system of sufficient complexity to achieve genuine intelligence appears to require the division of the system into seperate modular 'sub-agents' which interact with each other to achieve desirable results. Marvin Minsky wrote a famous book 'The Society of Mind' emphasizing this soup of many interacting agents. It's not enough for a cognitive so composed to merely have an effective system of decision making. There must also be an effective *Communication System* to integrate and co-ordinate the behaviour of the all the sub-agents into an effective whole. And this is the aspect of AI research that has been neglected. Further, the connection between 'Communication' and "Reflectivity' has appeared to elude the minds of the best and brightest. But it is here being established that an effective communication system *is precisely the solution to reflectivity*. The two problems are one and the same. If the hypothesis is correct, new strategies for atatcking the reflectivity puzzle can be formulated. For one thing, there is a wide body of pre-existing knowledge on Communications Theory which can start to brought to bear on the reflectivity puzzles. For another, analogies from the field of computer networking can be ported over to the reflectivity problem. For instance: Consider sub-agents as nodes, the combined actions of the sub-agents as networks and the interactions of the sub-agents as data transfers. But what justification is there for thinking that this hypothesis is applicable to reflectivity? To see the reasons, let us consider that other great puzzle, subjective consciousness, or subjective experience. What is consciousness. For all the huge volume of past words expended in this debate, there emerge three key points: The first point is that consciousness is not a *thing*. It is a *process*. The second point is that consciousness is not something concrete. It is not for instance, a process similar to digestion. The process instead appears to involve *asbtract patterns* (functionalism). Patterns are abstractions which are the essence of mathematics. Thus we can say that consciousness is a *mathematical process*. And the third point is that consciousness appears to involve a cognitive system examining aspects of its own internal operation. All three points should immediately lead us to suspect that consciousness is connected to 'Reflectivity'. On the first point, conscious as a proccess ; a working reflection system is also a process. On the second point, consciousness as patterns (mathematical abstractions) ; a working reflection system involves reasoning about reasoning ; reasoning uses predicate logic and probabilities - fields of mathematics. Further, patterns are both the essence of mathematics and representations of knowledge itself. So a series of reasoning steps (an algorithm) is really a mathematical construction. Finally on the thrid point, a cognitive system examining its own internal working smacks of reflection immediately. Thus a reasonable a
