Abstract:Abstract:In this paper I consider the usefulness of the compositional hierarchy model in understanding the information flows involved in group behaviors in animals. I propose that short-term memory can function to transduce information across scale, thereby connecting different modes of information and mediating coherent group motions. This transduction I propose to be mediated by the "sign" as understood in Peircean semiotics, generating the meaning of the information for the social animal.
“…The nonlinear relationship between energy channelization and dissipation bears many of the characteristics of 'emergent' systems, whereby larger, coherent patterns of entities emerge from the interaction of smaller entities. Such systems are characterized by feedback loops, hierarchically nested groups of objects at different scales of observation, downward causation and robustness of order to external perturbations [21,34,35]. In effect, by introducing energy characterized by interactions below the level of molecules, molecules can be resolved as a coarsegrained level of organization [36].…”
The origins of life bring into stark relief the inadequacy of our current synthesis of thermodynamic, chemical, physical and information theory to predict the conditions under which complex, living states of organic matter can arise. Origins research has traditionally proceeded under an array of implicit or explicit guiding principles in lieu of a universal formalism for abiogenesis. Within the framework of a new guiding principle for prebiotic chemistry called , organic compounds are viewed as by-products of energy transduction phenomena at different scales (subatomic, atomic, molecular and polymeric) that retain energy in the form of bonds that inhibit energy from reaching the ground state. There is evidence for an emergent level of complexity that is overlooked in most conceptualizations of abiogenesis that arises from populations of compounds formed from atomic energy input. We posit that different forms of energy input can exhibit different degrees of dissipation complexity within an identical chemical medium. By extension, the maximum capacity for organic chemical complexification across molecular and macromolecular scales subsumes, rather than emerges from, the underlying complexity of energy transduction processes that drive their production and modification.This article is part of the themed issue 'Reconceptualizing the origins of life'.
“…The nonlinear relationship between energy channelization and dissipation bears many of the characteristics of 'emergent' systems, whereby larger, coherent patterns of entities emerge from the interaction of smaller entities. Such systems are characterized by feedback loops, hierarchically nested groups of objects at different scales of observation, downward causation and robustness of order to external perturbations [21,34,35]. In effect, by introducing energy characterized by interactions below the level of molecules, molecules can be resolved as a coarsegrained level of organization [36].…”
The origins of life bring into stark relief the inadequacy of our current synthesis of thermodynamic, chemical, physical and information theory to predict the conditions under which complex, living states of organic matter can arise. Origins research has traditionally proceeded under an array of implicit or explicit guiding principles in lieu of a universal formalism for abiogenesis. Within the framework of a new guiding principle for prebiotic chemistry called , organic compounds are viewed as by-products of energy transduction phenomena at different scales (subatomic, atomic, molecular and polymeric) that retain energy in the form of bonds that inhibit energy from reaching the ground state. There is evidence for an emergent level of complexity that is overlooked in most conceptualizations of abiogenesis that arises from populations of compounds formed from atomic energy input. We posit that different forms of energy input can exhibit different degrees of dissipation complexity within an identical chemical medium. By extension, the maximum capacity for organic chemical complexification across molecular and macromolecular scales subsumes, rather than emerges from, the underlying complexity of energy transduction processes that drive their production and modification.This article is part of the themed issue 'Reconceptualizing the origins of life'.
“…The only interesting strategy-interesting from our own point of view, that is-is for the network to generate a new global representation of itself, which both communicates internally in a simplified less energetic manner and permits economical external relations to be exercised. Intra-network communication energy can be saved by formalizing the nature of inter-cellular communication-by slaving [21]- [23] all the cells to one communication-model. Extra-network energy can be saved by only communicating information which is externally relevant 17 .…”
Section: Sapience Sees All Scalesmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…… the traditionally expected ultimate future state of the Universe which follows from the second law of thermodynamics-but only if we presume that classical thermodynamics can be blindly applied to open rather than closed systems: i.e. in the absence of life!23 Our emphasis (c.f.Figure 1(a))-to make clear in the terms of our own argument, in addition to that of Rosen, that there is no way that we can legally "pull out of the hat" a global consequence of the collection.…”
The human mind's evolution owes much to its companion phenomena of intelligence, sapience, wisdom, awareness and consciousness. In this paper we take the concepts of intelligence and sapience as the starting point of a route towards elucidation of the conscious mind. There is much disagreement and confusion associated with the word intelligence. A lot of this results from its use in diverse contexts, where it is called upon to represent different ideas and to justify different arguments. Addition of the word sapience to the mix merely complicates matters, unless we can relate both of these words to different concepts in a way which acceptably crosses contextual boundaries. We have established a connection between information processing and processor "architecture" which provides just such a linguistic separation, and which is applicable in either a computational or conceptual form to any context. This paper reports the argumentation leading up to a distinction between intelligence and sapience, and relates this distinction to human "cognitive" activities. Information is always contextual. Information processing in a system always takes place between "architectural" scales: intelligence is the "tool" which permits an "overview" of the relevance of individual items of information. System unity presumes a degree of coherence across all the scales of a system: sapience is the "tool" which permits an evaluation of the relevance of both individual items and individual scales of information to a common purpose. This hyperscalar coherence is created through mutual inter-scalar observation, whose recursive nature generates the independence of high-level consciousness, making humans human. We conclude that intelligence and sapience are distinct and necessary properties of all information processing systems, and that the degree of their availability controls a system's or a human's cognitive capacity, if not its application. This establishes intelligence and sapience as prime ancestors of the conscious mind. However, to our knowledge, there is no current mathematical approach which can satisfactorily deal with the native irrationalities of information integration across multiple scales, and therefore of formally modeling the mind. R. Cottam et al. 14
KeywordsHyperscale, Hierarchy, Intelligence, Sapience, Consciousness
IntroductionThere is much disagreement and confusion associated with the word intelligence. A lot of this results from its use in diverse contexts, where it is called upon to represent different ideas and to justify different arguments. James Albus [1] has defined intelligence as "… the ability to act appropriately in an uncertain environment; appropriate action is that which maximizes the probability of success; success is the achievement or maintenance of behavioral goals; behavioral goals are desired states of the environment that a behavior is designed to achieve or maintain".Although many will find this definition insufficient, we will provisionally accept it, in that it is the most concise and comp...
“…cell. organism and population) representing a living system (Salthe, ). This, unfortunately, takes no account of the organization at a particular scale, whether this is between biomolecules, cells… Consequently, it is unsuitable for the generic description of Natural entities, most particularly for entities whose character is as much based on internal organization as internal content, as for living organisms or human Organizations (see (Rosen, ) for Rosen's extensive considerations of relational biology).…”
Section: The Development Of Hierarchymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Compositional hierarchy appears to only be a dimensionally reduced form of the model‐hierarchy we are describing. Salthe's subsumptive hierarchy could be (physical forces, chemical attractions and biological forms) (Salthe, ). However, he points out that for a subsumptive hierarchy control by the higher level … descends through all the levels simultaneously (Salthe, ),which contradicts the conclusion we stated earlier with regard to inter‐scale interactions in a hierarchy.…”
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