Lucidity, science, and acausality illusions

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Lucidity, science, andacausality illusions
Michael E McIntyre University of Cambridge
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An idea to take seriously (with far-reaching
implications) perception works by
model-fitting.
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An idea to take seriously (with far-reaching
implications) perception works by
model-fitting. The unconscious brain actively
fits an internal model to the sensory data
coming in from the outside world.
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4
An idea to take seriously (with far-reaching
implications) perception works by
model-fitting. The unconscious brain actively
fits an internal model to the sensory data
coming in from the outside world. If the fit is
good enough, the internal model becomes the
perceived reality.
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5
An idea to take seriously (with far-reaching
implications) perception works by
model-fitting. The unconscious brain actively
fits an internal model to the sensory data
coming in from the outside world. If the fit is
good enough, the internal model becomes the
perceived reality. Example the walking
lights
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What is the perceived reality? A cube rotating?
Which way?
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And what is a model?
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And what is a model?
(in the sense used here a very general sense)
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And what is a model? Answer a partial and
approximate representation of reality (e.g. of a
real person really walking, or of a real wire
cube really rotating).
(in the sense used here a very general sense)
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And what is a model? Answer a partial and
approximate representation of reality (e.g. of a
real person really walking, or of a real wire
cube really rotating). NB Science works the
same way.
(in the sense used here a very general sense)
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And what is a model? Answer a partial and
approximate representation of reality (e.g. of a
real person really walking, or of a real wire
cube really rotating). NB Science works the
same way.
(in the sense used here a very general sense)
(e.g Einsteins Theory of Relativity)
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And what is a model? Answer a partial and
approximate representation of reality (e.g. of a
real person really walking, or of a real wire
cube really rotating). NB Science works the
same way. (Implication science is not about
Absolute Truth or Absolute Proof.)
(in the sense used here a very general sense)
(e.g Einsteins Theory of Relativity)
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13
And what is a model? Answer a partial and
approximate representation of reality (e.g. of a
real person really walking, or of a real wire
cube really rotating). NB Science works the
same way. (Implication science is not about
Absolute Truth or Absolute Proof.) (For one
thing, we must assume that theres an outside
world)
(in the sense used here a very general sense)
(e.g Einsteins Theory of Relativity)
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Models and model-fitting require mathematics
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Models and model-fitting require
mathematics (e.g. Euclidean geometry).
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Models and model-fitting require
mathematics (e.g. Euclidean geometry). Implicati
on we all have unconscious mathematics.
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Models and model-fitting require
mathematics (e.g. Euclidean geometry). Implicati
on we all have unconscious mathematics. Another
way to say it is We all have an unconscious
power of abstraction
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Models and model-fitting require
mathematics (e.g. Euclidean geometry). Implicati
on we all have unconscious mathematics. Another
way to say it is We all have an unconscious
power of abstraction
and what is abstraction? Answer the ability
to handle many possibilities at once
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Models and model-fitting require
mathematics (e.g. Euclidean geometry). Implicati
on we all have unconscious mathematics. Another
way to say it is We all have an unconscious
power of abstraction
and what is abstraction? Answer the ability
to handle many possibilities at once (even an
infinite number of possibilities).
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All this can be seen as a consequence of
biological natural selection
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All this can be seen as a consequence of
biological natural selection along with certain
mathematical facts, especially combinatorial
largeness.
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All this can be seen as a consequence of
biological natural selection along with certain
mathematical facts, especially combinatorial
largeness. The unconscious brain must choose the
model components to fit to the incoming data
from a combinatorially large number of
possibilities.
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All this can be seen as a consequence of
biological natural selection along with certain
mathematical facts, especially combinatorial
largeness. The unconscious brain must choose the
model components to fit to the incoming data
from a combinatorially large number of
possibilities. No organism can afford to be
conscious of matters with which it could deal on
unconscious levels.
Gregory
Bateson
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How large is combinatorially large?
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How large is combinatorially large?
Reminder
1
Lucidity and Science, Part I
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The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
27
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
28
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
For more on this, websearch lucidity principles
Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
29
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
what we perceive are perfectly smooth curves
mathematically simple !
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
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The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
what we perceive are perfectly smooth curves
mathematically simple !
(as distinct from whats actually on the screen!)
For more on this, websearch lucidity principles
Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
31
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
what we perceive are perfectly smooth curves
mathematically simple !
(as distinct from whats actually on the screen!)
For more on this, websearch lucidity principles
Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
32
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
what we perceive are perfectly smooth curves
mathematically simple ! A perfectly straight
line is another Platonic object
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
33
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
what we perceive are perfectly smooth curves
mathematically simple ! A perfectly straight
line is another Platonic object
For more on this, websearch lucidity principles
Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
34
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
There are very many Platonic objects.
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
35
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
There are very many Platonic objects. E.g. an
infinitely large number of smooth curves.
For more on this, websearch lucidity principles
Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
36
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
There are very many Platonic objects. E.g. an
infinitely large number of smooth curves. Heres
another smooth curve can you see it?
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
37
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
There are very many Platonic objects. E.g. an
infinitely large number of smooth curves. Heres
another smooth curve can you see it?
(unconscious mathematics again
calculus of variations)
For more on this, websearch lucidity principles
Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
38
The unconscious brain is especially interested
in internal models made of patterns that are as
simple as possible (Platonic objects
elegance computational economy)
There are very many Platonic objects. E.g. an
infinitely large number of smooth curves. Heres
another smooth curve can you see it?
(unconscious mathematics again
calculus of variations)
Contructivism versus Platonism a false
dichotomy
The illusory contour is constructed, unconsciou
sly. To wonder at its perfection is to glimpse
the Platonic Part II, p 296
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
39
Model-fitting takes place in spacetime. (The
walking lights demonstrate it, as does any movie.)
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
40
Model-fitting takes place in spacetime. (The
walking lights demonstrate it, as does any
movie.) We perceive continuous motion despite
actual discontinuities.
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
41
Model-fitting takes place in spacetime. (The
walking lights demonstrate it, as does any
movie.) We perceive continuous motion despite
actual discontinuities. Musical example
Mozarts flowing oil a feeling of continuous
motion evoked by discontinuous sounds (from the
K545 piano sonata).
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
42
Model-fitting takes place in spacetime. (The
walking lights demonstrate it, as does any
movie.) We perceive continuous motion despite
actual discontinuities. Musical example
Mozarts flowing oil a feeling of continuous
motion evoked by discontinuous sounds (from the
K545 piano sonata).
The outer indistinct, ragged contour reminds us
of the playing of a pianist less skilled than
Mozart
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Platonic versus constructivist another
of our false dichotomies! Again see Lucidity and
Science Part II, p. 296.
43
Music takes us deeper still.
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Music takes us deeper still. Natural selection
again auditory scene analysis.
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Music takes us deeper still. Natural selection
again auditory scene analysis. An implication is
that the harmonic series is another Platonic
object, part of the brains model-building
repertoire
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Music takes us deeper still. Natural selection
again auditory scene analysis. An implication is
that the harmonic series is another Platonic
object, part of the brains model-building
repertoire
Ravel trio ? ? ? ?
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Indeed, this is evolutionarily ancient. Its not
just our brains that make use of the harmonic
series
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Indeed, this is evolutionarily ancient. Its not
just our brains that make use of the harmonic
series And somewhere, out in that blue and
green splendour, something was singing a small
voice, high up, starting and ceasing, incredibly
sweet. What was it? A little, sweet, wild
voice, a music in mid-air. He listened, and his
breath caught in his throat.
Ursula Le Guin, The
Dispossessed
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Indeed, this is evolutionarily ancient. Its not
just our brains that make use of the harmonic
series And somewhere, out in that blue and
green splendour, something was singing a small
voice, high up, starting and ceasing, incredibly
sweet. What was it? A little, sweet, wild
voice, a music in mid-air. He listened, and his
breath caught in his throat.
Ursula Le Guin, The
Dispossessed
Examples New Zealand tui and kokako
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Tui song recorded inInvercargill, New Zealand)
gt
actual half speed
Recording by Les McPherson
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Kokako song
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Two further points about the walking lights
example
1. The model favoured by the unconscious
brain isnt any old linkage its a particular
3-dimensional linked structure, with unchanging
distances between pairs of links to good
approximation. (Re favoured, see my websites
On thinking probabilistically.)
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Two further points about the walking lights
example
1. The model favoured by the unconscious
brain isnt any old linkage its a particular
3-dimensional linked structure, with unchanging
distances between pairs of links to good
approximation. (Re favoured, see my websites
On thinking probabilistically.)
2. The example illustrates another basic point
about our perceptual and cognitive processes
the organic-change principle. Thanks to natural
selection we favour are perceptually sensitive
to patterns in which some things
change slightly, while others stay the same
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Two further points about the walking lights
example
1. The model favoured by the unconscious
brain isnt any old linkage its a particular
3-dimensional linked structure, with unchanging
distances between pairs of links to good
approximation. (Re favoured, see my websites
On thinking probabilistically.)
2. The example illustrates another basic point
about our perceptual and cognitive processes
the organic-change principle. Thanks to natural
selection we favour are perceptually sensitive
to patterns in which some things
change slightly, while others stay the
same (another abstract concept and it points
straight toward the deepest connections between
music and mathematics e.g.invariance
theorems..)
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Music consists of organically-changing sound
patterns. The existence of music as well as
mathematics is direct evidence of
our unconscious power of (and interest in)
abstraction.
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E.g. the way harmony works (websearch musical
hyperspace)
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E.g. the way harmony works (websearch musical
hyperspace) Powerful, continuous harmonic
motion uses organic change some things
changing slightly while others stay the same
where in this case slightly can mean either
of the two kinds of perceptual proximity,
"melodic" or "harmonic.
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E.g. the way harmony works (websearch musical
hyperspace) Powerful, continuous harmonic
motion uses organic change some things
changing slightly while others stay the same
where in this case slightly can mean either
of the two kinds of perceptual proximity,
"melodic" or "harmonic. (And powerful
chords are made of harmonic-series subsets.
Debussy was the first great composer to recognize
all this (Peter Platt, Debussy and the Harmonic
Series) in fact Western music has two templates
in slight conflict. That conflict is a
rich artistic resource exploited by musicians
with fine-tuning skills.)
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One last point Hearing music and making sense
of it reminds us, again, that the brains
unconscious model-fitting takes place in time as
well as space
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One last point Hearing music and making sense
of it reminds us, again, that the brains
unconscious model-fitting takes place in time as
well as space (or rather, in this case, musical
hyperspace).
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One last point Hearing music and making sense
of it reminds us, again, that the brains
unconscious model-fitting takes place in time as
well as space (or rather, in this case, musical
hyperspace). Therefore, subjective time can
differ from objective (outside-world) time.
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Subjective, i.e., perceived, time is an
internal-model property.
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Subjective, i.e., perceived, time is an
internal-model property. (So it neednt obey the
usual laws of physics regarding causality.)
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Subjective, i.e., perceived, time is an
internal-model property. (So it neednt obey the
usual laws of physics regarding causality.)
Example acausality illusions The perceived time
of an event can precede the arrival of sensory
data defining the event.
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Subjective, i.e., perceived, time is an
internal-model property. (So it neednt obey the
usual laws of physics regarding causality.)
Example acausality illusions The perceived time
of an event can precede the arrival of sensory
data defining the event. Basic to Western music
are events called harmony changes
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66
Subjective, i.e., perceived, time is an
internal-model property. (So it neednt obey the
usual laws of physics regarding causality.)
Example acausality illusions The perceived time
of an event can precede the arrival of sensory
data defining the event. Basic to Western music
are events called harmony changes
Mozart K 545 again
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Any composer asked to provide a straightforward
orchestral accompaniment would put the harmony
change at the time of the arrow
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Finally the central idea or hypothesis that
perception works by model-fitting deserv
es to be taken seriously for other reasons too,
e.g.,
? The nature of self the brain is
committee-like, yet has a single internal
self-model continuously being fitted to the
incoming data (visual, auditory, tactile, and
proprioceptive). ? Acausality illusions
include the perceived (subjective) times of
making decisions (e.g. experiments by Grey
Walter and Libet cf. free-will debate). (
perceived times of internal decisions must be
later than, and perceived times of
outside-world events earlier than physical
events in the nervous system. Only thus can
the brain represent both sets of times in its
internal model of the self in its surroundings
at the accuracies needed for survival. )
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V. S. Ramachandran
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Mozart K 545
Not quite Mozart K 545
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