Cognition and sentience
Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 11:58 amWhat most people studying the brain does not realize is that, besides being the seat of consciousness it holds the key to understanding the operating system within. Most computers in the past have one CPU that runs instructions from an operating system. Lately, there are multi-core CPU's, and probably in the future: multiple CPU's running the same operating system code. Most mobile phones actually have two operating systems and CPUs. One to run the software that you regularly use, and the other that handles the connection to the Cell towers (sometimes called baseband or modem software). However, they are synced together for operation, providing a singular purpose.
In the brain there exists multiple models. The most common one is where one seat of consciousness runs the operating system solely. However, there are cases in mental institutions that have people who can hold multiple personalities within, each personality able to take over the body for a period of time. Each of these personalities can be totally different, even in mental age. In this example, it would be like a brain running different versions or flavors of the operating system. Each type of operating system would own local store for its memory to provide distinct personalities. Some mental subjects are even more profound, and in these cases, multiple personalities actually reside inside the body, and each can even hear one another's thoughts. Multiple segments of the brain are holding multiple consciousness at the same time, sometimes sharing various local store of memory. This would be like having two or more CPU's running different operating systems at the same time in the computer, each sharing resources and may actually have priority over certain resources. This example would be similar to people who can hear voices in their heads, related to having another CPU in the background running a different personality software.
One important point is that these multiple personalities all reside inside the same brain, not external to it. When we dream, a different "dream" operating system takes over. This dream operating system also resides within the brain, but the possibility of outside external signals influencing the dream state are up to debate. The ability for the dream state to conjure up weird states of ourselves (nightmares, dreams, etc) fits in well with mentally insane people whose dream state become their "reality" state. These states seem to be similar to people who have taken drugs that alters their reality (like PCP, mushrooms, etc). The seat of consciousness being connected to the dream state and the differentiation between what is conjured up and what is real probably has something to do with how insane and drug users experience altered states of reality.
In conclusion, because of the ability for the brain to actually store multiple personalities, with each able to take over the consciousness singularly, concurrently, with each aware, or not aware of each other... It becomes fitting that we find there are probably a vast landscape of different working models of the brain. A mild example would be a person who can swing back and forth between moods, and we sometimes think of these people as AB blood types. An extreme example would be someone who can actually change to a totally different person, each one with its own thoughts and memory. Then there are those who have multiple personalities residing within the same person at the same time, aware of each other's thoughts (but usually with one person having control over the physical body). Add in the dream state, and the ability/inability to differentiate between what is processed from the senses, and what is conjured up internally, we allow for different states of mental sanity as well. Perhaps in the future these consciousness can be transferred between different brains, but most likely the route taken would be to have another brain connect to the same spinal cord of the current brain, to allow the conscious part to slowly migrate to the other brain and re-imprint things from the old to the new slowly. Perhaps there is a easy way to duplicate a brain? Duplication would result in multiplying yourself on different bodies, and maybe someone may simply want their brain stem connected to another person, allowing them to reside inside another person's brain to read their thoughts and experiences.
In the brain there exists multiple models. The most common one is where one seat of consciousness runs the operating system solely. However, there are cases in mental institutions that have people who can hold multiple personalities within, each personality able to take over the body for a period of time. Each of these personalities can be totally different, even in mental age. In this example, it would be like a brain running different versions or flavors of the operating system. Each type of operating system would own local store for its memory to provide distinct personalities. Some mental subjects are even more profound, and in these cases, multiple personalities actually reside inside the body, and each can even hear one another's thoughts. Multiple segments of the brain are holding multiple consciousness at the same time, sometimes sharing various local store of memory. This would be like having two or more CPU's running different operating systems at the same time in the computer, each sharing resources and may actually have priority over certain resources. This example would be similar to people who can hear voices in their heads, related to having another CPU in the background running a different personality software.
One important point is that these multiple personalities all reside inside the same brain, not external to it. When we dream, a different "dream" operating system takes over. This dream operating system also resides within the brain, but the possibility of outside external signals influencing the dream state are up to debate. The ability for the dream state to conjure up weird states of ourselves (nightmares, dreams, etc) fits in well with mentally insane people whose dream state become their "reality" state. These states seem to be similar to people who have taken drugs that alters their reality (like PCP, mushrooms, etc). The seat of consciousness being connected to the dream state and the differentiation between what is conjured up and what is real probably has something to do with how insane and drug users experience altered states of reality.
In conclusion, because of the ability for the brain to actually store multiple personalities, with each able to take over the consciousness singularly, concurrently, with each aware, or not aware of each other... It becomes fitting that we find there are probably a vast landscape of different working models of the brain. A mild example would be a person who can swing back and forth between moods, and we sometimes think of these people as AB blood types. An extreme example would be someone who can actually change to a totally different person, each one with its own thoughts and memory. Then there are those who have multiple personalities residing within the same person at the same time, aware of each other's thoughts (but usually with one person having control over the physical body). Add in the dream state, and the ability/inability to differentiate between what is processed from the senses, and what is conjured up internally, we allow for different states of mental sanity as well. Perhaps in the future these consciousness can be transferred between different brains, but most likely the route taken would be to have another brain connect to the same spinal cord of the current brain, to allow the conscious part to slowly migrate to the other brain and re-imprint things from the old to the new slowly. Perhaps there is a easy way to duplicate a brain? Duplication would result in multiplying yourself on different bodies, and maybe someone may simply want their brain stem connected to another person, allowing them to reside inside another person's brain to read their thoughts and experiences.