John Page

Great point. How does it sense what is "food" and "not food" etc. Maybe it doesn't have a "mind" in the human sense (apropo your comment on anthropomorphism) but single-celled intelligence does seem to exist. Anybody got any good links on research in this area?

Cheers!

Ierrellus

Lunch With A Bacterium--

Whether the bacterium in question is an autotroph (uses its own chemistry to make organic compounds from surrounding molecules} or a heterotroph (must locate already made organic compounds}, it must find food outside of itself.

D=drive or the mechanism that forces action.
R=raw materials needed for the construction and
continued maintenance of the organism.
S1=the internal, structural environment of R.
S2=the external, structural environment of R.

Thus D+R(in S1} must recognize R(in S2} Could this recognition be partially due to the fact that R=R? Could this scenario include the primal abstraction of this AND that?

Ierrellus

snatchbalance

Ierrellus,

If I remember my basic microbiliogy, many bacteria are not motile. They simply wait to be deposited on the appropriate substrate. Then, largly by difusion, nutrients pass through the cell wall.

To me, this is similar to turning an armeture between some magnets. Electrons are displaced and will "flow" along a conductor.

Such basic physical properties are the foundation of "mind".

Some single cell organisms utilize cilia and flagella. By moving throught thier environment they may encounter and utilize nutrients.

Flatworms have a central nervous system.

It seems that one could trace the path from atomic level attractions and repulsions to "mind".

Ierrellus

snatchbalance:

Thanks for your vote of confidence. In tying together attraction/repulsion and mental phenomena, I definitely need to consider developmental stages from molecule to organ (brain).

The fundamental stage appears to involve electromagnetic changes in chemical compounds {change implies motion} as affected by gravity and environmental conditions. These factors seem to account for accumulated mass of the organism and its retardation of mutation for the duration of its individual existence. They also define its adaptational probabilty.

Again, thanks for you insight.

Ierrellus

Ierrellus

If anyone is interested in papers by academic philosophers and scientists about, mind, consciousness, qualia, etc., check out David Chalmers' home page on the web.

Ierrellus

Ierrellus

Please forgive the thrice-posted extravagance. Can anyone comment on the D,R,S1,S2 formulation?

Ierrellus