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Topic: virus: The Cerebral Code (Read 585 times) |
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Drakeo Vortex
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virus: The Cerebral Code
« on: 2004-09-11 10:47:36 » |
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The Cerebral Code by William H. Calvin
Calvin's hexagonal theory is very ambitious. It give's an interesting key
hole look at the future of meme's neuronal battles. Here is just a sample
pg. 33 bottom paragraph
"Weak mutual re-excitation (a few percent of the threshold) is quite
sufficient to entrain; one need not postulate strong connection strengths in
the manner needed for Lorente's recirculateing chains. So long as the
nuerons (or fireflies) already have enough input to fire repeatedly, there
will be an entrainment tendancy if they mutually re-excite one another. And
that is exactly what superficial pyramidal nuerons, 0.5 mm apart , seem
likely to do. The triple combination -- mutual re-excitation , silent gaps
that focus it, and the resulting entrainment tendancies -- is what gives the
superficial layers of neocortex the potential of being a Darwin machine."
pg 83 middle paragraph
"Most such confusions of darwinian concepts did not detract from the power
of Edelman's analysis. But some do, as when he says, "[This] is a population
theory, that is, it claims that brains operate by selection upon variance at
several levels. Such a proces leads to differential modification of synapses
and the selection of particular neuronal groups on the basis of individual
experience in an open ended world or enviroment." All true except something
of non-sequitur. populations -- in ecology and evolutionary biology, even in
immunology -- usually involve lots of individuals somehow makeing near
copies of themselves, all present at the same time, interacting with one
another and with thier enviroment."
Great book for anyone interested in memetics. I highly recommend it.
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LenKen
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Mi caca es su caca.
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Re: virus: The Cerebral Code
« Reply #1 on: 2004-09-11 13:34:31 » |
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I just wish it weren’t such an easy read—I was kind of hoping for a bit of a challenge. Seriously, though, it is an excellent book, well worth trudging through: It goes a long way toward building a solid scientific foundation for memetics, probing into the actual, tangible stuff that memes are made of.
The Prolugue alone contains a wealth of information about the concept of the cerebral code. And it also contains a cool epigram:
“There may be nothing new under the sun, but permutation of the old within complex systems can do wonders.”
—Stephen Jay Gould, 1977
_____________
Nate Meme <jubungalord@hotmail.com> wrote:
The Cerebral Code by William H. Calvin
Calvin's hexagonal theory is very ambitious. It give's an interesting key
hole look at the future of meme's neuronal battles. . . . Great book for anyone interested in memetics. I highly recommend it.
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hkhenson@rogers...
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Re: virus: The Cerebral Code
« Reply #2 on: 2004-09-11 15:46:57 » |
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At 02:47 PM 11/09/04 +0000, you wrote:
>The Cerebral Code by William H. Calvin
>
>
>Calvin's hexagonal theory is very ambitious. It give's an interesting key
>hole look at the future of meme's neuronal battles. Here is just a sample
>
>pg. 33 bottom paragraph
>
>"Weak mutual re-excitation (a few percent of the threshold) is quite
>sufficient to entrain; one need not postulate strong connection strengths
>in the manner needed for Lorente's recirculateing chains. So long as the
>nuerons (or fireflies) already have enough input to fire repeatedly, there
>will be an entrainment tendancy if they mutually re-excite one another.
>And that is exactly what superficial pyramidal nuerons, 0.5 mm apart ,
>seem likely to do. The triple combination -- mutual re-excitation , silent
>gaps that focus it, and the resulting entrainment tendancies -- is what
>gives the superficial layers of neocortex the potential of being a Darwin
>machine."
>
>pg 83 middle paragraph
>
>"Most such confusions of darwinian concepts did not detract from the power
>of Edelman's analysis. But some do, as when he says, "[This] is a
>population theory, that is, it claims that brains operate by selection
>upon variance at several levels. Such a proces leads to differential
>modification of synapses and the selection of particular neuronal groups
>on the basis of individual experience in an open ended world or
>enviroment." All true except something of non-sequitur. populations -- in
>ecology and evolutionary biology, even in immunology -- usually involve
>lots of individuals somehow makeing near copies of themselves, all present
>at the same time, interacting with one another and with thier enviroment."
>
>Great book for anyone interested in memetics. I highly recommend it.
It really is. I read it online (most of Calvin's books are on his web
site) *and* bought it in hard copy. Been a big fan of his for a long time.
Got to see him when he was at the University of Waterloo a few months
ago. He is one of the original thinkers of our time.
Keith Henson
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MoEnzyme
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RE: virus: The Cerebral Code
« Reply #3 on: 2004-09-13 00:51:05 » |
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That's great, Nate. It sounds like the kind of stuff that we are looking
for. Once we unravel this to the point that we can analyse our own actions
and social interactions vis a vis these entrainment tendencies we will have
mastered the birthing of practical memetic engineering . . . and then of
course we will conquer the universe, with immortality, spacemonkeys,
spirothetes, nanobiotechnological fusion, and other transhuman fantasies
galore. . . redefinitions of "miraculous" shall continue apace, certainly
worth living for . . . stay tuned in to the Church of the Virus. The world
starts here!
Right now I am excessively involved in politics, I mean to the point that I
almost don't have a life beyond it and work . . . I will certainly add this
to my short list to check out after election day has sorted itself out.
It's great to see you guiding the church back towards its roots in the
science of memetics, Nate. I believe that this is a science that we can
come to know, and I think that the Church of the Virus is the right place
for this to happen, and I know that Reason, Empathy, and Vision are the Rx
to catalyze this enlightenment. I've been MEMED, praise be unto David
McFadzean!!
Enlighten me,
-Reverend Jake
> [Original Message]
> From: Nate Meme <jubungalord@hotmail.com>
> To: <virus@lucifer.com>
> Date: 09/11/2004 7:47:39 AM
> Subject: virus: The Cerebral Code
>
> The Cerebral Code by William H. Calvin
>
>
> Calvin's hexagonal theory is very ambitious. It give's an interesting
key
> hole look at the future of meme's neuronal battles. Here is just a sample
>
> pg. 33 bottom paragraph
>
> "Weak mutual re-excitation (a few percent of the threshold) is quite
> sufficient to entrain; one need not postulate strong connection strengths
in
> the manner needed for Lorente's recirculateing chains. So long as the
> nuerons (or fireflies) already have enough input to fire repeatedly,
there
> will be an entrainment tendancy if they mutually re-excite one another.
And
> that is exactly what superficial pyramidal nuerons, 0.5 mm apart , seem
> likely to do. The triple combination -- mutual re-excitation , silent
gaps
> that focus it, and the resulting entrainment tendancies -- is what gives
the
> superficial layers of neocortex the potential of being a Darwin machine."
>
> pg 83 middle paragraph
>
> "Most such confusions of darwinian concepts did not detract from the
power
> of Edelman's analysis. But some do, as when he says, "[This] is a
population
> theory, that is, it claims that brains operate by selection upon variance
at
> several levels. Such a proces leads to differential modification of
synapses
> and the selection of particular neuronal groups on the basis of
individual
> experience in an open ended world or enviroment." All true except
something
> of non-sequitur. populations -- in ecology and evolutionary biology, even
in
> immunology -- usually involve lots of individuals somehow makeing near
> copies of themselves, all present at the same time, interacting with one
> another and with thier enviroment."
>
> Great book for anyone interested in memetics. I highly recommend it.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
> http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
>
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> To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to
<http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
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I will fight your gods for food,
Mo Enzyme
(consolidation of handles: Jake Sapiens; memelab; logicnazi; Loki; Every1Hz; and Shadow)
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