Last [time unit],
we started diving into
the dizzying array of complexity within
a generic cell in the human body.
While the beauty of such a system
might leave you mystified even at the nth glance,
it still might be easy to dismiss the automation
as independent of consciousness.
What are you implying by 'independent'?
Well, in a simplistic nutshell,
imagine David Bolinksy
hadn't told us
this was a human cell.
So, it could be something as 'simple' as a bacteria, a virus, or fruit-fly?
Exactly!
[Forgiving the architectural differences
between eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and viruses]
Ok, so it's hypothetically not a human cell. Why is this relevant?
The relevance of this extra bit of information is all based on
the audience's range of reactions to the images presented.
When we might think of a bacteria, fruit-fly, or (especially) a virus,
we're not surprised at all to imagine they are governed by some
fixed, instinctual behavior.
We don't ever have to engage in a debate of free will,
because we've short circuited the debate by
not endowing them with any form of consciousness.
In fact, this jives quite well
with our understanding of such critters.
Think about the language we use to describe biological experiments with such species:
terms like "programming", "genetic code", "molecular machinery", et al.
Okay, fine. So little bugs are like robots.
I'm cool with that.
What does this have to do with consciousness?
Well, here's where it gets complicated(ish).
There are vast expanses of our biology
that use the same fundamental ideas and terms as
e.g.;
"Mr. So-and-so, the lab tests came back and we found that
your body has a genetically-based
inability to manufacture a certain enzyme..."
Okay, yes, you might say, I'll admit that some parts of my body are automated in a sort of predetermined way. Perhaps it's time for some more powerful examples.
When you, internet,
woke up this morning,
I'm sure the first thing you thought about was the need to
change the way your heart beats as you get out of bed.
When you, internet,
opened your eyes from the darkness of dreamland,
and assaulted your retinas with cascades of photons
from the small whale oil lamp,
I'm sure you remembered
to contract the ring of muscles in your eye
that we call the iris.
When you, internet,
prepared breakfast,
I'm sure you remembered to
tell your salivary glands to get to to work
pumping out a concoction of enzymes.
I'm sure you also placed careful attention
to making sure your esophagus
moved in smooth, wavelike oscillations
in an effort to deliver the food effectively
to the roiling pit of hot, frothing hydrochloric acid.
You probably then went on to make sure your stomach
communicated with the rest of your body
to suppress your appetite.
Okay, so far this has been far from earth-shattering.
I'm comfortable with the idea that bits of my body are
beyond my control.
So what if digesting my food doesn't require conscious thought?
That's an understandable objection.
After all, that was only
a (staggeringly) brief list
of bodily functions that
we're already accustomed to not controlling.
I'm sure that when you last fell asleep
(after carefully telling your brain to shift to the proper mode)
you remembered to keep breathing.
I'm sure that as you drifted off to sleep
by counting prime numbers,
you reminded yourself to keep the steady pace
of inhaling and exhaling
making absolutely certain to keep the flow of air to your lungs
constant.
I'm sure that when you got out of bed,
stumbling across the room as you shake off the stupor,
you remembered to remind your legs
the perfect sequence for balancing.
After all, you might give a lot of thought to
the same process while...hiking, or rock climbing, right?
Ok, I see where you're going with this.
But the claims you make implicitly in the examples
are totally uncontroversial.
I mean, hey, can't I walk and talk at the same time?
What about more intimate examples?
I'm sure that you, internet,
while [commuting verb] to [place that's not home]
you reminded your brain and ears
to be on the lookout
for that certain song from [memory lane].
I'm sure you perused the incoming information,
the beats, the tones, the hums,
the snippets of lyrics and fractions of symphonies
diffusing out from the construction crew doing roadwork,
the latest i[device],
or the obnoxious sub-woofer.
I'm sure you then compared all these bits of audio
to the data-bank inside your memory
scanning and analyzing
patterns, genres, reflections,
permutations,
searching for a link across time
to a forgotten musical fingerprint.
I'm sure you then chose to recall said song
in all its glory
replaying inside your mind's eye ear
again for the first time in [x]
and again
and again
and again.
Okay, yes, this I can deal with.
Assign some functions to the subconscious,
that's fine.
But there are still plenty of things
(that are not formally called instincts)
that I know I choose to do.
What about really complicated parts
of our consciousness,
like...love
(romantic or otherwise)?
Ah, what an excellent point you bring up.
After all, it does sound a little cheap
to say that something as complex
as the rush of emotion
you feel
when seeing the face of a loved one
can't possibly be explained
by a surge of chemicals
or a wild-firing of synapses
deep within the brain.
I'm sure that you, internet,
upon seeing for the first time
your [current significant other],
were reminded of the
decision you made
earlier in the day:
to carefully scan the sweep
of your visual field
searching all the while
for a face (or body)
you had preconceived as beautiful.
I'm sure that upon seeing
said significant (other),
you reminded some neurons deep within your brain
(and perhaps elsewhere)
to let loose the love signal!
I'm sure you reminded your eyes,
instead of jumping butterfly-like
from point to point
at a frenzied pace,
to stop
and smell the roses.
I'm sure you reminded yourself to be
more mindful of your posture, your smile,
and set your heart beating, just a little faster.
Perhaps there was even
increased sweating involved
...all deliberate, of course.
Aha! Your clever attempt at swaying my opinion has failed.
I, said the internet boldly, am no silly romantic.
I don't believe in this whole "love at first sight" thing.
Fair enough.
Perhaps you'll want to stick around for the future
(you'll be there anyway, if you're lucky).
In the next part, we'll take a stab at
some kinds of takeovers of consciousness
the instances of veritable "body snatchers"
in the lives of mice and hominids.
If you've read this far, stop.
It's okay, the post is done.
Go about your business.
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