Researches in Personal Freedom

Thermal Model of Idealized Brains


Abstract

Studies by physicsists of thermodynamic critical point phenomena suggest a Thermal Model of brains. The idealized conceptual unit in the Thermal Model is a distinct and compact body, called a Neuronal Group, made up of a large number of identical idealized units (Neurons) interacting through a uniform "nearest-neighbor" activation. The chief operating principle is Phasic Cycling where Virtual Energy in the body is alternatively stored (heating) and dissipated (cooling): at maximum storage, activity in the Neuronal Group is disordered and the Neuronal Group is in the Neuronal Critical State; upon dissipation, an ordered phase appears that may be one among several phases in an ordered phase structure and such emergence is interpreted psychologically as experiences of objects, including perceptions and purposeful intentions, and of acts, including muscular acts.

The principle of Phasic Cycling is embodied in conceptual devices - Structural Engines - that operate in a cyclical fashion, pumping pulses of Virtual Energy through Assemblies of Neuronal Groups that cycle energy flows through cooling and heating waves and thus produce phases, corresponding psychologically to production of experiences of objects and acts. Development of Structural Engines imitates development of Heat Engines that occurred the nineteenth century and that is the basis of the modern concept of energy. The Idealized basic design can be made subject to various modifications and applications that yield many and various Structural Engines suggestive of diverse forms of personal experience.

Thermal Model of Idealized Brains: Table of Contents
I. Large-scale design and architecture of the Thermal Model
II. The Thermodynamic Critical Point
A. Feature One: Universality of Critical Point Phenomena
B. Feature Two: Phasic Cycling
C. Feature Three: Mathematical singularity, duality and intractability
III. The Neuronal Critical State - a construction
IV. Thermal Model of Phasic Cycling in Idealized Brains
A. Single Quadratic Form for Ising Model Magnets, Neuronal Groups and Neurons
B. Governing concepts of (1) phase as a stable circulating pattern of Virtual Energy in Idealized Brains and (2) the Neuronal Critical State as "the Mother of all phases"
C. A phasic structures collects and organizes phases; and Phasic Cycling drives transitions between phases in a phasic structure
D. Examples of images in Quadratic Form of Phasic Cycling in Idealized Brains
E. Phasic Cycling in Idealized Brains interpreted psychologically as the generation of personal experience
F. On the nature of Neurons and their interactions necessary to support Phasic Cycling in Idealized Brains
V. Structural Engines
A. Structural production through Juxtaposition of Phasic Structures: e.g., red/green juxtaposed with stop/go
B. Example: A Juxtaposition Engine in a constructed organism
C. The Juxtaposition Engine as the Primal means of engaging Reality; and Deeds, the products of the Juxtaposition Engine
D. Circulating Waves of Virtual Energy in Idealized Brains in Quadratic Form
E. Virtual Free Energy in the Thermal Model of Idealized Brains
F. How Structural Engines can produce "structures of personal experience" through activity of circulating waves of Virtual Free Energy in Idealized Brains
G. Modeling the generation of personal experience as activity of Structural Engines engaging Reality


You can download a copy of the current version of Thermal Model of Idealized Brains (about 426 kilobytes) in the Adobe .pdf formal.

First publication is March 28, 2005 of a preliminary draft of part I and most of part II.


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