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Writer's pictureCrone

Learning

Maybe it doesn't need a mind.


When I was boxing the other day, I was doing a somewhat complicated sequence of punches. Because I was moving quite quickly, I couldn't think of the order that I was meant to punch and separate out the muscular control and do the punch and then simultaneously register an error while bringing to mind the next punch and doing that. What would happen was that I'd realise the previous punch was wrong after the next punch had already been punched. The messages my conscious mind was getting and giving were just too slow. Yet I still improved. In fact, I improved faster when I stopped trying to think so consciously what I was doing.


We can have an experience when driving of swerving to avoid an obstacle and only realise what's happened after the fact. I used to do this running barefoot on gravel strewn tarmac. If I got into a flow, I could just avoid the pieces of gravel, but if I started to think about where the pieces of gravel were I'd find myself stepping on them.


According to the predictive brain theory, the brain is constantly making predictions, If it's right, we don't sense anything other than the prediction. If it's wrong, it adjusts. We learn through the error correction. So, in layman's terms - as far as I understand it - I have a concept of the sequence of punches - I know each punch separately and chunk them into a bigger concept of the sequence. As I start moving, my brain's predicting in life with that concept, and when I make a mistake and the sense data suggests that I have not moved as I ought, automatic processes seek to refine the muscle movement in line with the concept and the prediction. All of this is happening below conscious level. If I start thinking, I interfere with it because I'm always too late to effect the movement.


Or maybe it's something like this. But anyway, the thing is, I don't need language or rationalisation to be very flexible and to learn how to DO things. I need feedback from my senses. Nor do I really need 'a sense of self'. Like the sea slugs that Erik Kandel did his memory research on, I can learn without thinking at all. It's experiential evidence that development and flexibility really doesn't require mind.


I'm not sure this is very useful for my animal project - after all, I need to show that they can be harmed and suggesting that all kinds of intelligent behaviour might not need any sentience is rather unhelpful.


Still. It was kind of interesting.

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