[From Rick Marken (960425.1445)]
My, what a busy week on CSGNet; you know it's busy when I can't keep up;-)
Anyway, I'll be away for the weekend (starting tonight) so it looks like I
better get my 2 cents in now.
Here are some thoughts about consciousness based on my studies and
understanding of PCT:
Consciousness is not the same as intentionally (or purposefulness
or autonomy). PCT shows that it possible to build a rather complex
intentional system (hierarchical control organization) that has no
consciousness. My spreadsheet model, for example, is a demonstration of
this; here is a model that carries out many, fairly complex intentions,
simultaneously; but there is no consciousness in the model (I know itUs not
in there because I didnUt put it in; I haven't the slightest idea how to do
that). I think this is an important point because many conventional
psychologists (particularly those who see intentionality as myth) conflate
these two phenomena; when they say something was done consciously they mean
what PCT means when it says that something was done on purpose. PCT suggests
that things that are done on purpose can be done consciously _or_
unconsciously. My experience is that this is exactly the way things work; I
carry out some purposes consciously, others unconsiously (which I know of
when I become conscious of them).
We know of consciousness because we have it (which is strange in itself
because awareness is one aspect of what I think of as consciousness, and it
is this aspect of consciousness that makes it possible for us to be aware of
consciousness itself). I don't believe we have any good behavioral
indications of consciousness; we can't see whether people are conscious or
not (although we often think we can); I think that we usually say a person is
conscious of something when we have reason to believe that they are
controlling some high level variable -- like the "gist" of a conversation. So
it's not really consciousness that we are detecting but, rather, controlling.
I think it's a good bet that consciousness operates _on_ the intentional
aspects of our nature (the control hierarchy). Consciousness is there for a
reason (I think) and I think the reason has to do with maintenance of the
control hierarchy; it's the "god" of the control hierarchy; not affected by
that control hierarchy but aware of what the hierarchy is "up to" (what
perceptions it's controlling), why it's up to it (at least consciusness is
capable of being aware of this) and able to change, relatively arbitrarily,
parameters of the hierarchy.
I think consciousness is likely to be involved in the daily controlling
done by _all_ living control systems; that consciousness evolves (along
with the control hierarchy itself) as part of the total functional
organization needed for successful control (i.e. life). Birds have it, bees
have it, even monkeys in the trees have it (and I bet the trees have it,
too, though not much; chop away guiltlessly, Republicans;-)).
I haven't the slightest idea how to go about studying consciousness
behaviorally. I think I have seen consciousness manifested in some of the
behavioral data we've collected -- for example, in the occasional "polarity
reversals" that produce a momentary positive feedback situation during
tracking -- but I don't really know what to make of this. I don't know, for
example, how one might distinguish (behaviorally) an influence on current
controlling that comes from consciousness vs one that comes from the actions
of a higher level control organization.
I think I'll be content, for the time being, just trying to understand the
nature of hierarchical control (assuming that control _is_ organized
hierarchically in living control systems); I'll probably stick to doing the
consciousness studies on the only consciousness I'm sure of (when I'm
conscious): mine.
Best
Rick