Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 37, No. 156.
Department of Digital Humanities, University of Cologne
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Submit to: humanist@dhhumanist.org
Date: 2023-08-01 06:36:22+00:00
From: Willard McCarty <willard.mccarty@mccarty.org.uk>
Subject: limits?
Here's a question. It hardly needs saying that to get anything done, we
need to set limits to the scope of our professional and scholarly
attention--by analogy with visual perception, to what falls within our
central vision. But then there's the peripheral. Consider, for example,
consciousness research, specifically the following event announced by
the Center for Consciousness Studies <ww.consciousness.arizona.edu> at
the University of Arizona. In particular note what it says about the
grip that 'AI' has on neuroscience, and by extension on what we tend to
think about thinking. Should the debate furthered by this event be on
the 'radar' of digital humanities, if only awareness that it is happening?
Comments?
Yours,
WM
-----
Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness
Encinitas (California) - Aug 18-20
For Immediate Release August 1, 2023 Contact: center@arizona.edu
Promo: Please share the Promo video link with your social groups.
https://vimeo.com/845485065
SPEAKERS
Sir Roger Penrose, Hartmut Neven, Anirban Bandyopadhyay,
Stuart Hameroff, Riccardo Manzotti, Esh Farschi,
Christof Simon, Dimitris Pinotsis, Kelvin McQueen,
Paavo Pylkkanen, Daniel Sheehan, Santosh Helekar, Thomas Brophy,
Dante Lauretta, Aarat Kalra, Travis Craddock, Jack Tuszynski, Rajnish
Khanna,
Dean Radin, Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Aliya Grig,
Sterling Cooley, Tam Hunt, Jeffery Martin,
Thomas Bever, Daniel Nunez, Jay Sanguinetti, Nicolas Rosseinsky,
Kassandra/Rick McKenney, Luca Turin, Marilu Chiofalo, Anita Goel, Zina
Cinker,
Paulo Roberto Silva de Souza, Hide Saegusa
INTRO
Despite vast detailed knowledge of the brain, neuroscience cannot 1)
explain consciousness, memory, binding nor real time conscious action,
2) effectively treat Alzheimer’s or other brain disorders,nor 3) define
our place in the universe. Why not? Oversimplified cartoon neurons.
'AI' has reinforced the notion of the brain as a complex computer of
simple, empty, ‘cartoon’ neurons based on 1950s physiology, processing
solely by surface membranes, synaptic transmissions and firings as
“bit-like' units in frequencies up to 100 hertz.
But deeper, faster, coherent and quantum non-local information processes
in cytoskeletal microtubules inside neurons regulate neuronal-level
functions. Over the past 10 years, Anirban Bandyopadhyay has discovered
coherent kilohertz, megahertz, gigahertz and terahertz resonance
vibrations in microtubules, with megahertz and gigahertz detectable from
human scalp. Aarat Kalra, Jack Tuszynski, Travis Craddock and others
have shown quantum optical effects in microtubules are inhibited by
anesthetics which selectively
block consciousness.
The Penrose-Hameroff ‘Orch OR’ theory proposes consciousness depends on
‘orchestrated’ (‘Orch’) quantum superpositions leading to Penrose
‘objective reductions’ (‘OR’, wavefunction self-collapses) in brain
microtubules, connecting to fundamental spacetime geometry. Orch OR has
more explanatory power, connection to biology, and experimental
validation than all ‘neuroscientific’ theories based on low frequency,
oversimplified cartoon neurons combined.
Neuroscience needs a revolution inward, to deeper, faster quantum
processes in microtubules to understand consciousness and treat its
disorders.
Thomas Brophy, CIHS Stuart Hameroff, CCS
[...]
--
Willard McCarty,
Professor emeritus, King's College London;
Editor, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews; Humanist
www.mccarty.org.uk
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