5.1.2 Assumptions about information sources
This investigation starts with the following key assumptions on the sources for information:
- These assumptions should apply to all the species under consideration, i.e. to the whole evolutionary chain for 'inner' language.
Action in the world is expressed by the position and movements of the bones (of the vertebrates we are considering)
- We focus on gross bodily action, i.e. the action of the limbs but not of the hands, because that is common across the vertebrates we are considering.
- We focus on the position of the bones, because that is public, measurable, information.
We assume the following causal chain that moves us from public to private information, i.e. across the boundary mentioned above
- The change in position of the bones, in general, is caused by rotation in the joints
- We shall focus on the major bones such as arms and legs, most clearly involved in action
- We shall greatly simplify the bone structure, and essentially ignore the backbone and the hands
- The rotation in the joints is caused by muscles
- We shall greatly simplify the muscle mechanism to rotate joints
- We shall greatly simplify the complexity by focussing on the geometry rather than on actual muscle activity and attachment
- The movement of the muscles to cause rotation in the joints is in turn caused by information transmitted through neural connections
- We shall greatly simplify muscle activation through neural activity patterns
- We shall greatly simplify timing relationships in neural activity
Perception is based on a public world that is based on a three dimensional geometry and that changes over time
- We will focus on vision because that is common across the vertebrates we are considering
- We do not concern ourselves with colour vision or with species that have multi-faceted or other types of eyes.
- At this time, to simplify the investigation, we do not include information from other senses, including proprioception
The public side of perception is a two dimensional viewpoint of the three dimensional world.
- Visual perception is based on optics, i.e. on light given off or reflected from objects in the world.
- The eyes generate a two dimensional image, somewhat like a digital camera
- the eye rasterizes or pixellates the information using rods and cones, so that the representation is as points in the visual space
- Since we do not have X-ray vision, we cannot look through people or buildings, and thus cannot see the inside or the backside.
- the optical source of the information in the world is three dimensional, but transformed by the eyes into two two-dimensional projections
Feelings/emotions such as hunger and satiation, or pain and fear are private
- We have some measuring instruments that allow us to estimate the strength of feelings, but not their content
- Not all human feelings/emotions are likely to apply across the range of animal species we are considering
- The following list is likely to be both incomplete and redundant
-
acceptance,
amusement,
anger,
arousal,
auditory pleasure,
contempt,
contentment,
curiosity,
desire,
disgust,
distress,
embarrassment,
excitement,
fear,
guilt,
happiness,
humility,
hunger,
joy,
pain,
pride,
rage,
relief,
sadness,
satisfaction,
shame,
surprise,
tactile pleasure,
taste pleasure,
tired,
visual pleasure
- Feelings are positive or negative but not neutral. Feelings can differ in strength or urgency.
Feelings are important in initiating and terminating action
- The feeling of hunger provides a motivation for action
- The feeling of satiation indicates a successful outcome of action to reduce the feeling of hunger
- The feeling of fear provides a motivation for action (avoidance)
- The feeling of pain indicates an unsuccessful outcome of action
