Post by wenting on Jul 18, 2016 5:40:09 GMT
1. Explain the virtual simulation theory of consciousness.
There is a real world and an internalized world. Our brains replay multiple scenarios to test which would be best. Our consciousness virtually simulates situations that are not happening and filters these simulations into scenarios that we can handle. Therefore, consciousness is disassociation and carefully orchestrated virtual simulations. Professor Lane said in “Is the Universe an App?” “Arguably, consciousness is a virtual simulator, apparently evolved over eons of time to enable mammals with higher brain functions to ‘in source’ varying options of how to respond to a disparate array of problems before ‘out sourcing’ them (hence the Darwinian advantage)” (107).
A dog is not going to virtually simulate different possible realities when he chases a cat across the street. This leaves the dog prone to disaster while a human chasing a cat can quickly simulate different possibilities – where will the cat go or what will happen to me in street traffic. This is what consciousness does to protect us.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?
“Our brains were not designed to understand the universe as it is, but rather to eat it,” one evolutionary thinker said. (98) Evolution has shaped our brain to only perceive what we need to survive. In fact, anymore input could actually put us in danger. Our five senses are taking in input everywhere we walk. It is easy for them to be overloaded. Reality is too vast for our consciousness to handle totally. Our brains filter and recognize patterns. The brain then tricks us by showing the filtered world and created patterns.
Our brain’s ability to project and predict can also be of use. It can be used to warn, strategize, and even motivate us. “All this trickery does serve one underlying purpose: keeping our organism intact long enough to recapitulate itself.” (102) This very complicated function of our brain also shows how little power we have externally over our own actions.
There is a real world and an internalized world. Our brains replay multiple scenarios to test which would be best. Our consciousness virtually simulates situations that are not happening and filters these simulations into scenarios that we can handle. Therefore, consciousness is disassociation and carefully orchestrated virtual simulations. Professor Lane said in “Is the Universe an App?” “Arguably, consciousness is a virtual simulator, apparently evolved over eons of time to enable mammals with higher brain functions to ‘in source’ varying options of how to respond to a disparate array of problems before ‘out sourcing’ them (hence the Darwinian advantage)” (107).
A dog is not going to virtually simulate different possible realities when he chases a cat across the street. This leaves the dog prone to disaster while a human chasing a cat can quickly simulate different possibilities – where will the cat go or what will happen to me in street traffic. This is what consciousness does to protect us.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it for our genetic survival?
“Our brains were not designed to understand the universe as it is, but rather to eat it,” one evolutionary thinker said. (98) Evolution has shaped our brain to only perceive what we need to survive. In fact, anymore input could actually put us in danger. Our five senses are taking in input everywhere we walk. It is easy for them to be overloaded. Reality is too vast for our consciousness to handle totally. Our brains filter and recognize patterns. The brain then tricks us by showing the filtered world and created patterns.
Our brain’s ability to project and predict can also be of use. It can be used to warn, strategize, and even motivate us. “All this trickery does serve one underlying purpose: keeping our organism intact long enough to recapitulate itself.” (102) This very complicated function of our brain also shows how little power we have externally over our own actions.