Consciousness as a self-organizing process: an ecological perspective

Goerner, Sally J.; Combs, Allan

doi:10.1016/s0303-2647(97)00089-0

Cited by 11 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Key singularities, in which order emerges and self-sustains from chaotic substrates, still wait for full understanding2: Our universe is self-structuring, self-replicating life-forms emerged from simple molecules and simple chemical interaction patterns produce persistent complex thoughts in our brains3456. These structures reside at equilibrium of growth and decay, in which unordered particles are self-ordering and - after some time - fall back to unorderedness17, as living systems manage to reside far from a thermodynamic equilibrium8.…”

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confidence: 99%

How a life-like system emerges from a simplistic particle motion law

Schmickl

Stefanec

2016

Sci Rep

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Self-structuring patterns can be observed all over the universe, from galaxies to molecules to living matter, yet their emergence is waiting for full understanding. We discovered a simple motion law for moving and interacting self-propelled particles leading to a self-structuring, self-reproducing and self-sustaining life-like system. The patterns emerging within this system resemble patterns found in living organisms. The emergent cells we found show a distinct life cycle and even create their own ecosystem from scratch. These structures grow and reproduce on their own, show self-driven behavior and interact with each other. Here we analyze the macroscopic properties of the emerging ecology, as well as the microscopic properties of the mechanism that leads to it. Basic properties of the emerging structures (size distributions, longevity) are analyzed as well as their resilience against sensor or actuation noise. Finally, we explore parameter space for potential other candidates of life. The generality and simplicity of the motion law provokes the thought that one fundamental rule, described by one simple equation yields various structures in nature: it may work on different time- and size scales, ranging from the self-structuring universe, to emergence of living beings, down to the emergent subatomic formation of matter.

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confidence: 99%

How a life-like system emerges from a simplistic particle motion law

Schmickl

Stefanec

2016

Sci Rep

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“…TheScientificWorldJOURNAL (2006) 6,[2239][2240][2241][2242][2243][2244][2245][2246][2247][2248][2249][2250][2251][2252][2253]…”

Section: Acknowledgmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Neuroscience of Meditation

Tomac¹

2020

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Dhyana-Yoga is a Sanskrit word for the ancient discipline of meditation, as a means to Samadhi or enlightenment. Samadhi is a self-absorptive, adaptive state with realization of one's being in harmony with reality. It is unitive, undifferentiated, reality-consciousness, an essential being, which can only be experienced by spontaneous intuition and selfunderstanding. Modern neuroscience can help us to better understand Dhyana-Yoga. This article discusses topics including brain-mind-reality, consciousness, attention, emotional intelligence, sense of self, meditative mind, and meditative brain. A new hypothesis is proposed for a better understanding of the meditative mind. Meditation is an art of being serene and alert in the present moment, instead of constantly struggling to change or to become. It is an art of efficient management of attentional energy with total engagement (poornata, presence, mindfulness) or disengagement (shunyata, silence, emptiness). In both states, there is an experience of spontaneous unity with no sense of situational interactive self or personal time. It is a simultaneous, participatory consciousness rather than a dualistic, sequential attentiveness. There is a natural sense of well being with selfunderstanding, spontaneous joy, serenity, freedom, and self-fulfillment. It is where the ultimate pursuit of happiness and the search for meaning of life resolve. One realizes the truth of one's harmonious being in nature and nature in oneself. It is being alive at its fullest, when each conscious moment becomes a dynamic process of discovery and continuous learning of the ever-new unfolding reality. 2240understanding the mental phenomena of attention, memory, cognition, consciousness, the sense of self, and social-emotional intelligence. These different domains of information processing can be understood in terms of activation or inhibition of specific brain structures and their connections.

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“…There is no such thing as a single conscious state, only sets of conscious states. Consciousness is always “of something/to do something” (Goerner & Combs, 1998). It is species-specific, niche-specific, organism-specific, and situation-specific (see Van Duijn, Keijzer, & Franken, 2006).…”

Section: Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological costs of the evolution of adaptive behavior and consciousness.

Braun¹

2015

Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice

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This essay is an attempt to account for adaptive behavior and consciousness in the most concrete manner possible, addressing their embodiments throughout phylogenesis. The focus is on their biological costs, not particularly their benefits. The goal is to understand consciousness biologically while eschewing mentalism, anthropocentrism, and teleonomic enthusiasm. Throughout evolution adaptive behavior and consciousness have been embodied as catalytic molecular cascades, no more, no less. As these cascades became increasingly complex in particular ecological niches many new biological problems accrued for living organisms. Evolutionary resolution of these problems has been varied, incomplete, and fragile, including in the human species.

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Consciousness as a self-organizing process: an ecological perspective

Cited by 11 publications

References 6 publications

How a life-like system emerges from a simplistic particle motion law

How a life-like system emerges from a simplistic particle motion law

The Neuroscience of Meditation

Biological costs of the evolution of adaptive behavior and consciousness.

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