by Denis Larrivee
The
mechanical man has been with us for some time now. Julien de La Mettrie
declared his existence in 1735, a claim factually confirmed before and since. In
1628 Harvey isolated his fluid mechanics, in 1783 Lavoisier identified his
energy reserve, and in 1906 de Cajal his internal electronics. At the onset of
the 21 century neuroscience has now confirmed that his information processor is beholden
to causal closure and his behavioural output thermodynamically bound by probabilistic
contingencies. Researchers at Imperial College London's mecca for brain
science, among its more holistic purveyors, have recently proposed that
Bayesian circuits unconsciously determine choice. Are they right, or merely accommodating
a heretical path of materialist descent. A counter recently published in an
article by personalist neuroscientist Denis Larrivee - no oxymoron there - proposes
that such thinking may be more energetically constrained than their own behaviour
which they intend to describe. Their saviour, it seems, emerged aeons earlier in
evolution's upward gallop to 'right reason'. The article, here attached, invites
you to judge.
To read the full article, follow the link.
DOI: 10.15761/MHAR.1000160
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