Even More Random Thoughts: The Loop of Consciousness

"What we see, we see   

and seeing is changing"

- Adrienne Rich

A machine cannot be conscious because machines are unidirectional, they can only operate in one direction at a time. A fundamental aspect of consciousness is that it operates as a loop, inputs and outputs happening virtually simultaneously. A crude machine is essentially the transfer of energy to perform a task. For example, energy is applied to a lever (the simplest machine), the energy is transferred and the weight lifts. In a more advanced machine, say a chess playing computer, a task may be performed, which changes the environment (as in the weight lifted), and then the machine responds to the changed circumstance. The chess playing machine makes a move, registers a new situation, which changes the next response based on a predetermined program  of logic and algorithm. This sort of 'intelligence', the ability to process 'if-then' instructions and follow steps, is something that the human brain does of course, and computers can and will increasingly do more efficiently. But, as we all know, the human mind does so much more, and that 'more' is what we think of as the distinguishing elements of consciousness. 

The human mind is a 'machine' that not only responds to the environment it perceives, it 'reconceives' it as well. What do I mean by this? The chess playing machine will make each move based on every new situation that arises, but it will not begin to view the board, the pieces, the rules of the game, or the opponent any differently. In fact, there are basic elements of the game itself that must remain the same (call them 'parameters') for the machine to be able to operate competently. The conscious mind, on the other hand, takes in stimuli and responds to it, but it also changes the way it sees what it's seeing as well. This is colloquially talked about as the 'lenses' through which we view the world, which informs our response, which in turn changes what is being perceived, which in turn changes our response ad infinitem. In other words our response to the external world (stimuli) is based as much on what we project as it is on what we take in - another word for that is "meaning". This is a property unique to consciousness, and especially to human consciousness in terms of the layers of activity that constitute our consciousness compared to that of other sentient creatures. The implications are profound. While all sentient creatures chiefly adapt to externalities (in a Darwinian sense), we are the only creatures who influence externalities to conform to internalities, and this is a complex dynamic that has vast unforeseeable consequences. It's one of the aspects that makes the future so unpredictable. Some thinkers have described this unique aspect of human consciousness as 'noticing what you notice' (or noticing that you notice). And they say that this 'reflective capacity' developed in us because it offers formidable advantage in evolutionary terms. It creates a double and triple check on perception, which means that there is less chance that we can be fooled or tricked in the fight for survival. And this need to double-check our perception is critical, because perception is faulty, and many creatures have evolved the ability to take advantage of faulty perception eg. camouflage. And even better, it means that we can shape the environment to our advantage as opposed to continually having to adapt to our environment, which is ultimately why we are the apex predator. Our propensity and capacity to shape our environment to internal impulses (without regard to external facts and contingencies) also provides insight into our capacity to destroy it.

Quantum mechanics, which describes subatomic particles existing in two states simultaneously (spin up and spin down, until they are 'measured') appears to be analogous to the consciousness loop ie. the state of input and output happening simultaneously.