The Brain, A Decoded Enigma Part 21

We should think of the fact that, for walking, a correlation of hundreds or thousands of musculars fibers is needed. Dynamically, i.e. depending on the specifics of any individual movement, on the previous behaviour, on the antic.i.p.ated behaviour, on the goal to be attained and on the various external perturbations, all these fibres will be activated/deactivated in a precise order, each with the suitable intensity to solve the given problem. At any moment the problems which could appear are antic.i.p.ated and the corrections are made, before the problems occur. The number of models (which are built or activated), a.s.sociated with this type of activity, can be tens or hundreds in a second.

Example: The working speed of a model

Related to antic.i.p.ation by simulation on a model, I have seen a photo of a baseball player that was trying to catch a fast ball in flight. The high-speed photo showed the ball flying directly into the glove of the player. The sensational in this picture is that the eyes were looking at the place where the ball had been some time before. The model for catching the ball has antic.i.p.ated the position of the ball based on the previous information coming from the eyes. The action was a success, even if the eyes were unable to give the real time information, and in spite of the fact that the hand can not move very fast. This example ill.u.s.trates the huge advantage of the construction and operation of models. The effective speed of action can be considerably higher than the intrinsic speed of action of the components.

Hikers who go on difficult treks with heavy backpaks, which change slightly their position, know that hiking can be done with exceptional stability. Personally, the immense capacities of the brain to process information, and the speed of execution of these incredibly complicated operations, have always amazed me.

a.s.sociated with the above issue, I had a situation on a trek, carrying a heavy backpack, when a stone slipped from under my foot and I fell. The active models were not able to antic.i.p.ate this possibility. In this case, the capacity to build a new model suitable to the external reality is reduced. As we know, PSM is activated instead. However, I am still amazed that I was not hurt during that fall (it was practically a controlled fall, but outside my consciousness). Usually, PSM tries to save what can be still saved, and it is even possible, that it will accept sacrificing an arm, to save what is more important.

Connected with this specific problem, there is also another variant that a parallel model to the main model of walking was created. This parallel model predicted that the stone will slip and built a saving model outside the line of the PSM. However the theory predicts only two lines: one of the PSM and one of the ZAM which controls the global activity. Possibly, the ZM could let the main ZAM act, and build in parallel other ZAMs models for new situations, which would be activated in special cases. This type of behaviour is not specifically excluded by the theory, but in reality it is not met sufficiently clearly, so that it can be sustained. Building a parallel model is an easy operation, but the question is, how does the main ZM know what other ZAM to activate, when the active ZAM does not correspond anymore. The implementation of this facility could be done if there were a 'pipeline' built by the main ZM, so that a specific order of activation of parallel ZAMs existed in special cases. But this would imply the existence of a new hardware. As I already said, the existence of this facility (pipeline of ZAMs) cannot be sustained yet, due to insufficient data, but could be a line of further hardware development of the brain.

The issue of walking, jumping and running is inimaginably complicated and I do not believe that in predictible future, robots will come close to the performance of a chicken a few days old, running on a difficult terrain.

Climbing trees is an even more complicated activity, than walking and jumping. The basic information is related to the lack of precise information about the resistance of the branches. The models are able to make an evaluation of the resistance of each branch, but the model will have enough simulations in which the branch will break. ZM will need to take this into account, based on various local models, in order to build a good strategy (the best ZAM reactualised very often). In this case, the stability in the tree will be given by the capacity of building alternative models, which could be activated, if a branch broke. The brain effort needed to ensure the stability of the person in a tree is huge. Not all brains have this capacity. Moreover the ZM should also build a 'saving' model, in which there should be at least three points of support at any moment, in the ideea that if at least two will behave as in the simulation, the system will have an acceptable level of stability.

Walking on a difficult terrain, jumping and the stability in tree climbing are tests, which can show global performance of humans in the domain of image models. In animals these functions can be even more efficient.

ETA 26: The brain evolves under our eyes.

Generally all ETAs refer to the behaviour and evolution of the brain of a normal average human.

In 1900 Quantum Mechanics appeared. It marks the highest level attained up to now, in the brain evolution. However, people, who reached this extreme advance of knowledge, are ordinary people in everyday life. Independent of the level in the professional field, in everyday life, the brain continues to act to a large extends based on image models.

I have an example, in which one can see clearly, and above any doubt, the evolution of the brain towards more and more advanced symbolic models, at the level of the common person, in an issue always a.s.sociated with image models: nutrition.

In all times, people have eaten based on a.n.a.lysis on image models. a.s.sociated terms to nutrition are taste, smell, colour, aspect etc. The decision to eat or not a certain food, is based on image models. It can be said that the whole being, with its whole structure, partic.i.p.ates at solving the nutrition problem.

We have an explicit situation, when the process of evolution towards symbolic models in nutrition is clear. I have seen a person in a shop, who wanted to buy a certain product. The person had at hand a list of dangerous food additives (the so-called "E"s). A product was rejected because it contained such an "E".

Taste, smell, aspect and natural drive were overrun and a logical decision taken, totally independent of any image model. "E"s cannot be sensed based on image models. When a decision is taken exclusively on symbolic models, we have clearly a progress. This phenomenon, according to MDT, will increase on all levels.

Important note: the elite has imposed that any food should be labeled with the exact contents and other data, so that evolved people can take their own decision. This type of information is useless for the image-type public. The real problem is not the information, but the technical capacity of the brain to collect information and decide based on symbolic models.

As I mentioned, the att.i.tude of the majority of consumers continues to be strongly anch.o.r.ed in a complex structure of image models. There is an infinite number of cases, in which the image models from one's mind, make the products more expensive, and also more dangerous.

Example: "good quality" b.u.t.ter might contain a substance, which confers it a Yellow commercial colour. Between b.u.t.ter with colorant and the same without it, many consumers choose the one with colour. There are several soft drinks (some very famous) which, without colorants, would have less success.

The brain follows its ascending course towards the increase importance of symbolic models, so that, as we have seen it already happening, the decision in nutrition will be taken with more and more contribution from symbolic models.

The guarantee exists on symbolic model, that, within the laws and the level attained by science and technology and the laws of economy, food is possibly the safest. Nutritional regulations can only impose what a certain product may not contain.

The evolution of the brain is, however, slow on the scale of human active life, even if the evolution accelerates. We are on a level development of the brain on which, in domains where image models were leading (e.g. nutrition), symbolic models are gaining ground.

ETA 27: Principial negative effects a.s.sociated with the functioning of a brain

1. There is a principial problem, when we ask a question. In order to have an understandable answer, we need to be within the model which generates the answer. Without this condition, the answer will be nonsense. To put it differently: not any question is permitted.

Example: The nature of light can be understood only within the framework of Quantum Mechanics. If we are not familiar with Quantum Mechanics, the answer to the question about the nature of light is nonsense. From outside Quantum Mechanics, light seems to be both wave and particle, and this statement cannot be understood based on logic.

In case of children, the questions in the cla.s.s "why..?" cannot generally have any answer, as the children haven't got the suitable models. However parents have an answer to any of the children's questions. The answer with the stork bringing the babies is famous. The educational system should take into account these issues. For instance the 'why' questions should not be encouraged, and favour the "what is this?" type questions. This means that, for children, parents should show them the elements a.s.sociated with external reality and their relation/interconnections. Children will build alone models and they will find themselves the answers to the questions of 'why' type.

2. When you can't do what you want, you do what you can... Here we open Pandora's box. In the majority of cases in everyday life, we cannot do what we want or we can't turn back time after a failure.

These problems can generate building and activation of illogical action models starting with revenge and resignation as individual acts, and ending with wars. The reason is a.s.sociated with the tendency of any model to evolve towards stability, in the conditions when the model cannot stabilize in any situation. For instance, by revenge, in a way or another, one can find a stability of the model, by attaching to it another model (this model is a s.h.i.+elding model).

Resignation means building a suitable s.h.i.+elding-type model a.s.sociated to the model with problems. The most important and well-known s.h.i.+elding model, a.s.sociated to resignation, is religion.

All s.h.i.+elding models are a.s.sociated with the term 'illusion'. The illusion is defined as the reality generated by a s.h.i.+elding model.

The education system should take into account these cla.s.ses of problems and find solutions to avoid them.

3. If an action model has been built, it could be activated, independent of respecting or not the social or moral laws. From MDT, we know that PSM contains a series of models imposed by education, which block certain models to activate. If the suitable models in PSM are missing, or if there are suitable s.h.i.+elding models, there are no limits in activating the most incredible models.

4. Translation of an image model into a collection of symbolic models to sustain an undeclared image model. This syndrome is recognised from the simple and imperative logic, but also from the incapacity of the person to have a dialogue, based on logical data and statements. On symbolic model, this problem does not occur, due to multiple cross-checks between elements and relations.

ETA 28: Free-Masonry

We start this theoretical discussion by building a local model. The main statements of the local model are:

1. The intellectual superiority of a person is given by his/her capacity to build and operate long-range models.

2. The activity of the long-range models cannot exceed the lifetime of the person.

3. There are strong tendencies to prolong the action of long range models beyond the limit of his/her physical life.

If a person wants that certain long-range models be active beyond the limit of one's lifetime, one possibility is to activate such models within an organisation. However if we want a model to reach its goals in, let's say 100 years, the organisation should be a very special one. This condition is fulfilled e.g. by free-masonry.

Before going on, I want to point out that I have no direct information/ knowledge on any masonic organisation. The discussion is based exclusively on theoretical considerations, as they result from MDT, and the local model presented above. Moreover, for the discussion, the inner knowledge of a masonic organisation would not bring any useful information. According with the theory, the organisation should reach its goals beyond the limit of lifetimes of its members, and as such, the ordinary masons are generally unaware for what they are fighting.

A very general statement is needed here. Thus, a theory (any theory!) makes a prediction. In this specific case, MDT predicts the existence of a special organisation. Then we try to find in the external reality something that corresponds to the definition. Thus the fact that I attribute to masonry the definition generated by the theory, does not mean that this is complete, and in accordance with the external reality. The masonry in the external reality could have some characteristics in accordance with the theory, but it might have other characteristics, which have not been accounted for by the theory. This means that the theory can predict only the existence of a general structure, and so, it is possible that, in the external reality, one can find several types of organisations, which in spite of respecting the definition, can have structures and components not predicted by the theory. This situation is an extremely general one in all positive sciences and occurs every time when a theory is confronted with the external reality.

Let's go on with the description of a masonic organisation based on MDT.

Usually, ordinary members have no idea on the exact situation, and what they are fighting for. This happens due to the fact that masonry acts extremely slowly, modelling people from a spiritual point of view. Thus, when something happens, this will happen because the intellectuality has already the 'natural' tendency to act in a certain direction, and because the 'natural' tendency of the majority of people will be in the same direction or will not oppose it, at least. Thus, the masonic methods are very different from the cla.s.sical methods of education, or from the political ones.

The states also want to persuade people to act in a certain direction, by propaganda or education. However, the political goals are short-term initiatives (at most a few legislative terms), while the masonry wants basic changes in the thinking structure of people, independent of the political orientation of each member.

As I have already stated, the goals of masonry are to be attained in several generations. This is why an ordinary member of masonry cannot detect the goals, which have to be attained. In this situation, masonry should be in very good relations.h.i.+p with any political and economical forces, independent of their orientation. It also results from here that the masonry will never campaign in any way (political or other) for any person (inside or outside its ranks) and generally for any political orientation.

Most masonic organisations will not accept political or religious discussion inside them, in accordance with their goals. Political discussions are a.s.sociated with short-range models compared to the masonic goals, and the religious discussion are nonsense, as religion is based on invariant s.h.i.+elding models.

Masonic organisations are based only on individual personalities, independent of their orientation. This is why these organisations have the tendency to persecute the weak members, or those who wish the support of the organisation in their individual interest. The reason is clear: the masons have to be strong personalities, to be able to influence efficiently the others.

Masonry should be more complex than it was shown here, as somebody has to build and activate such very long-range complex models. At the same time, the existence of several corellated or uncorrelated masonic organisations is not forbidden.

Let's see the predictions of the theory connected with the future of masonry. For this, we will remind the basic problems of the world, in general, as MDT predicts them.

X1: The world is pushed forward by "symbolic" nations, while more and more nations cannot maintain the pace and have fundamentalist tendencies.