Beyond Biocost

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Beyond Biocost

• By Brandon Suzuki
• cs377a Fall 2006

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Part 1 Biocost Economics

• The relationship between money and biocost

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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 12/02/06
Biocost Economics Goal and Means The Self and
Rationality
Goal Embodied survival
Value (Value Gain/Cost) for a given Goal and
Means.
When the Rational Self makes a decision, it is a
rational decision if and only if the Value is
greater than 1.
Rational Self
Goal
Gain
Action
Means
- Cost
Biocost and Money exist within the Cost.
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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 12/02/06
Biocost Economics Goal and Means Example Buying
Bread
The Rational Self makes a decision choosing which
action provides more value. Is 1.00 worth the
Biocost of going nine blocks?
Goal Embodied survival
Rational Self
Goal Buy bread
Gain
Goal Buy bread
Gain
Action 1
Action 2
Means From supermarket ten blocks away Price
2.00
Means From mini-mart one block away Price 3.00
- Cost (Biocost)
- Cost (Biocost)
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Biocost Economics Goal and Means Collaborative
Example Roommate A convinces B to Eat Toast
Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/29/06
Goal Embodied survival
Goal Embodied survival
Collaboration is rational when A can afford (A
still has value after subtracting what he pays B
from his gain) to pay B so that B has more value
for Goal A than Goal B.
Money is a proxy for Gain
Eat toast
Gain
See a movie
Gain
Roommate A
Roommate B
Action A
Action B
Pay B 1 to get bread. Toast bread for self and
B.
Go to theater and buy ticket

• Cost
• (biocost)

• Cost
• (biocost)

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Part 2 Survival and Biocost

• Implications of self-sacrifice and biocost

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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/28/06
Self-sacrifice Example Suicide Bomber
Goal Spiritual survival
embodied by
Ethical Self
responds by engaging
passes information to the
Sensor Sense of responsibility Range Maturity
Actuator Faith Range Conviction
affects the
Goal Destroy threats to spiritual survival
embodied by
Rational Self
responds by instructing the
passes signals to the
responsibility is sensed by
Actuator Body
Sensor Body sensory organs
is sensed by (if system still exists)
Environment Perceived threats to spiritual
survival
carries out a bombing affecting the
Disturbances Police, soldiers, bomb malfunction,
early discovery
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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/28/06
Self-sacrifice Ritual Suicide
Goal Survival of Honor
embodied by
Ethical Self
responds by engaging
passes information to the
Actuator Sense of Duty Range Conviction
Sensor Sense of responsibility Range maturity
affects the
Goal Save the child
embodied by
Embodied Self
responds by instructing the
passes signals to the
responsibility is sensed by
Actuator Body
Sensor Body sensory organs
is sensed by (if system still exists)
Environment Body and witnesses
which ritualistically destroys itself affecting
the
Disturbances Others trying to stop you.
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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/29/06
Self-sacrifice Adult Saving a Child
Goal Genetic survival
embodied by
Ethical Self
responds by engaging
passes information to the
Actuator Belief Range Conviction
Sensor Conscience Range Maturity
affects the
Goal Save the child
embodied by
Embodied Self
responds by instructing the
passes signals to the
responsibility is sensed by
Actuator Body
Sensor Body sensory organs
is sensed by (if system still exists)
Environment Child
to stop the threat to the child by sacrificing
itself affecting the
Disturbances Slow reflexes, being too far, not
noticing the threat, being too weak to stop the
threat
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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/29/06
Self-sacrifice A Soldier Saving a Fellow Soldier
Goal Societal survival
embodied by
Ethical Self
responds by engaging
passes information to the
Actuator Patriotism Range Conviction
Sensor Sense of responsibility Range Maturity
affects the
Goal Save fellow soldier
embodied by
Rational Self
responds by instructing the
passes signals to the
responsibility is sensed by
Actuator Body
Sensor Body sensory organs
to stop the grenade from killing another soldier
by throwing himself onto it or covering the other
soldier with his own body affecting the
is sensed by (if system still exists)
Environment Fellow soldier
Disturbances Slow reflexes, being too far, not
noticing the grenade, being too small physically
to sufficiently weaken the blast
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Survival and Biocost The Model of Human Ethical
and Rational Self
Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/29/06
Goal Ethical survival
Comparator Conscience
Actuator Belief Range Conviction
Sensor Sense of responsibility Range Maturity
Ethical Self
responsibility
Biocost is a measure of Means quality of an
action taken by the Rational Self
Rational Self
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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/29/06
Self-sacrifice A Soldier Saving a Fellow Soldier
Goal Societal survival
embodied by
Ethical Self
responds by engaging
passes information to the
Actuator Patriotism Range Conviction
Sensor Sense of responsibility Range Maturity
affects the
Goal Save fellow soldier
embodied by
Rational Self
responds by instructing the
passes signals to the
responsibility is sensed by
Actuator Body
Sensor Body sensory organs
to stop the grenade from killing another soldier
by throwing himself onto it or covering the other
soldier with his own body affecting the
is sensed by (if system still exists)
Environment Fellow soldier
Disturbances Slow reflexes, being too far, not
noticing the grenade, being too small physically
to sufficiently weaken the blast
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Brandon Suzuki cs377a 11/28/06
The Model of Human Self Ethical, Emotional and
Rational
Goal Ethical survival
Goal Contentment
Comparator Conscience
Comparator Soul
Actuator Belief Range Conviction
Sensor Sympathy Range Compassion
Actuator Empathy Range Passion
Sensor Sense of responsibility Range Maturity
Ethical Self
Emotional Self
emotion
responsibility
Rational Self
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Biocost revisited

• Physical energy
• Time
• Attention

• Stress (emotional cost)
• An expression of the influence of the Emotional
  Self by the Rational Self

• Responsibility (ethical cost)
• An expression of the influence of the Ethical
  Self by the Rational Self

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So what is beyond Biocost?

• Limits of Biocost involve
• Survival of Self, being alive, autopoiesis
• Too high a Biocost results in the death of Self
• Rational
• Physical
• Emotional
• Ethical
• These ideas are reflected in language
• People being emotionally dead
• Having an emotional breakdown
• The inhumanity of a person who has no ethics