Resolving Two Tensions in 4E Cognition Using Wide Computationalism

Recently, some authors have begun to raise questions about the potential unity of 4E (enactive, embedded, embodied, extended) cognition as a distinct research programme within cognitive science. Two tensions, in particular, have been raised:(i) that the body-centric claims embodied cognition militate against the distributed tendencies of extended cognition and (ii) that the body/environment distinction emphasized by enactivism stands in tension with the world-spanning claims of extended cognition. The goal of this paper is to resolve tensions (i) and (ii). The proposal is that a form of ‘wide computationalism’can be used to reconcile the two tensions and, in so doing, articulate a common theoretical core for 4E cognition

Consciousness in active inference:Deep self-models, other minds, and the challenge of psychedelic-induced ego-dissolution

Predictive processing approaches to brain function are increasingly delivering promise for illuminating the computational underpinnings of a wide range of phenomenological states. It remains unclear, however, whether predictive processing is equipped to accommodate a theory of consciousness itself. Furthermore, objectors have argued that without specification of the core computational mechanisms of consciousness, predictive processing is unable to inform the attribution of consciousness to other non-human (biological and artificial) systems. In this paper, I argue that an account of consciousness in the predictive brain is within reach via recent accounts of phenomenal self-modelling in the active inference framework. The central claim here is that phenomenal consciousness is underpinned by ‘subjective valuation’—a deep inference about the precision or ‘predictability’ of the self-evidencing (‘fitness-promoting’) outcomes of action. Based on this account, I argue that this approach can critically inform the distribution of experience in other systems, paying particular attention to the complex sensory attenuation mechanisms associated with deep self-models. I then consider an objection to the account: several recent papers argue that theories of consciousness that invoke self-consciousness as constitutive or necessary for consciousness are undermined by states (or traits) of ‘selflessness’; in particular the ‘totally selfless’ states of ego-dissolution occasioned by psychedelic drugs. Drawing on existing work that accounts for psychedelic-induced ego-dissolution in the active inference framework, I argue that these states do not threaten to undermine an active inference theory of consciousness. Instead, these accounts corroborate the view that subjective valuation is the constitutive facet of experience, and they highlight the potential of psychedelic research to inform consciousness science, computational psychiatry and computational phenomenology

Dissolving the self:Active inference, psychedelics, and ego-dissolution

Psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, LSD and DMT are known to induce powerful alterations in phenomenology. Perhaps of most philosophical and scientific interest is their capacity to disrupt and even “dissolve” one of the most primary features of normal experience: that of being a self. Such “peak” or “mystical” experiences are of increasing interest for their potentially transformative therapeutic value. While empirical research is underway, a theoretical conception of the mechanisms underpinning these experiences remains elusive. In the following paper, psychedelic-induced ego-dissolution is accounted for within an active inference framework, as a collapse in the “temporal thickness” of an agent’s deep temporal model, as a result of lowered precision on high-level priors. The argument here is composed of three moves: first, a view of the self-model is proposed as arising within a temporally deep generative model of an embodied organism navigating an affordance landscape in the service of allostasis. Next, a view of the action of psychedelics as lowering the precision of high-level priors within the generative model is unpacked in terms of a high Bayesian learning rate. Finally, the relaxation of high-level priors is argued to cause a “collapse” in the temporal thickness of the generative model, resulting in a collapse in the self-model and a loss of the ordinary sense of being a self. This account has implications for our understanding of ordinary self-consciousness and disruptions in self-consciousness present in psychosis, autism, depression, and dissociative disorders. The philosophical, theoretical and therapeutic implications of this account are touched upon

Shape of subjectivity: an active inference approach to consciousness and altered self-experience

How should we understand the place of the mind in the natural world? Can the relationship between the contents of consciousness and the underlying mechanisms be identified? This thesis approaches the question of consciousness and the self through the framework of active inference. According to predictive processing approaches to brain function, brains are essentially prediction machines. On this view, perception and action are underpinned by inferential mechanisms that implement a hierarchical generative model, constantly attempting to match incoming sensory inputs with topdown predictions or expectations. Predictive processing is thought to offer a first glimpse of a unified theory of the mind—uniting perception, action, and cognition under a single theoretical framework. In particular, active inference, under the free energy principle, has emerged as the most explanatorily powerful approach in predictive processing. In this thesis, I develop a conceptual framework within active inference for understanding consciousness and phenomenal selfhood (broadly, the ‘sense of being a self’) in terms of an “allostatic control model”. I made the case that phenomenal selfhood arises from a hierarchically deep inference about endogenous control of ‘selfevidencing’ (survival-relevant) sensory outcomes. I apply this account to develop a new understanding of the relationship between self-consciousness and consciousness. Based on the allostatic control model, I posit a novel theoretical model of how psychedelic drugs can lead to ‘selfless’ experiences. I then apply the allostatic control model to characterise the contrastingly dysphoric and euphoric selfless experiences that can arise in depersonalisation disorder and meditation practice. Based on these accounts, I consider the possibility of a theory of consciousness within this active inference, analysing whether selfless experiences pose a threat to an active inference theory of consciousness understood in terms of selfmodelling mechanisms. I argue that selfless experiences do not pose a threat to an active inference theory of consciousness, rather selfless states can be informative as to how consciousness should be understood in active inference. Consciousness emerges as fundamentally affective on this view, where (in normal experience) hierarchically deep self-modelling mechanisms function to ‘tune’ organisms to opportunities for adaptive action across multiple interlocking timescales

Expecting some action:Predictive processing and the construction of conscious experience

Predictive processing has begun to offer new insights into the nature of conscious experience—but the link is not straightforward. A wide variety of systems may be described as predictive machines, raising the question: what differentiates those for which it makes sense to talk about conscious experience? One possible answer lies in the involvement of a higher-order form of prediction error, termed expected free energy. In this paper we explore under what conditions the minimization of this new quantity might underpin conscious experience. Our suggestion is that the minimisation of Expected Free Energy is not in itself sufficient for the occurrence of conscious experience. Instead, it is relevant only insofar as it helps deliver what Ward et al. (2011) have previously described as a sense of our own poise over an action space. Perceptual experience, we will argue, is nothing other than the process that puts current actions in contact with goals and intentions, enabling some creatures to know the space of options that their current situation makes available. This proposal fits with recent work suggesting a deep link between conscious contents and contents computed at an ‘intermediate’ level of processing, apt for controlling action.</p

The effect of physical processes and the chemical feedback on the evolution of molecular clouds

How the prospect of star formation in molecular clouds is affected by different physical and chemical processes is still not clearly understood, although various theoretical models have considered some of the possible processes in the investigation of stellar evolution. Nevertheless, the roles of many very basic physical and chemical processes in the evolution of molecular clouds have not been fully evaluated. The main objective of the work presented in this thesis is to carry out the first quantitative investigation on the importance of chemical cooling, cosmic ray heating, gas-dust interaction and photo-electric heating by FUV radiation on cloud evolution. First, the effect of micro-physical and chemical cooling on the evolution of molecular clouds are investigated by numerical simulations based on Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) involving various physical or chemical feedback mechanisms. Based on the classical concept of Jeans Mass, which is used to predict the potential for gravitational collapse of a molecular cloud at hydrostatic equilibrium, a newly defined quantity called Modified Jeans Mass (MJM) is used to describe the minimum mass needed for a cloud to collapse under a certain set of initial physical conditions. Comparison of MJMs can reveal the extent of the roles played by the micro-physical and chemical cooling processes in the evolution of molecular clouds. A set of intensive numerical simulations using different combinations of the basic micro-physical processes and chemical feedback was designed. Various models of simulation which include different physical or chemical feedback mechanisms result in a range of MJMs, to isolate these effects from those influenced by externally imposed FUV radiation these models were run with zero FUV input. Comparison of the MJMs as well as following the evolution of the physical properties of molecular clouds enables a quantified description of the importance of the individual physical and chemical feedback processes, as well as combinations of these, on the prospect of star formation. Secondly, the model which represented the conditions observed in nature, that is with all the microphysical and chemical processes activated, was subjected to FUV radiation and the effects of the resulting photo-electric heating on the cloud's evolution was tracked. This set of simulations studied the variation of MJMs resulting from molecular clouds with a range of initial densities being subjected to a range of different intensities of FUV radiation. It is found that a power law fitting can be applied to describe the behaviour of MJM vs initial density, i.e., M_MJM = a, n_i^b with a and b being different for different simulation models. The detailed description for the evolution of the physical properties is presented for a representative molecular cloud in each set of simulations, and the general evolutionary features of all of the molecular clouds in the same set of simulation are summarised. The analysis on the calculated mass left in the condensed core formed when a cloud collapses, essentially the `seed' for potential star formation, is also performed. It can be concluded that: a) the different microphysical and chemical cooling processes do indeed contribute to the dynamic evolution of a molecular cloud toward star formation, although chemical cooling is the most important of these; b) the effect of FUV radiation on the evolution of molecular clouds depends strongly on the initial density and on the intensity of the FUV. For low density clouds the loss of material because of photo-evaporation is the major effect reducing the chances of star formation, in high density clouds shock propagation is the predominant effect promoting the formation of protostar seeds

Predicting Inter-Species Cross-Talk in Two-Component Signalling Systems

Phosphosignalling pathways are an attractive option for the synthetic biologist looking for a wide repertoire of modular components from which to build. We demonstrate that two-component systems can be used in synthetic biology. However, their potential is limited by the fact that host cells contain many of their own phosphosignalling pathways and these may interact with, and cross-talk to, the introduced synthetic components. In this paper we also demonstrate a simple bioinformatic tool that can help predict whether interspecies cross-talk between introduced and native two-component signalling pathways will occur and show both in vitro and in vivo that the predicted interactions do take place. The ability to predict potential cross-talk prior to designing and constructing novel pathways or choosing a host organism is essential for the promise that phosphosignalling components hold for synthetic biology to be realised

UReCA, the NCHC Web journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Our vision is an academic community without borders, a connected network of aspirational students committed to the advancement of knowledge and appreciation of the arts. UReCA fosters the exchange of intellectual and creative work between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with and contribute to the advancement of their individual fields. UReCA was first conceived by Johnny MacLean (Southern Utah University) and Brian White (Graceland University) at an annual NCHC conference in Phoenix, Arizona. MacLean and White noticed that while several academic outlets existed for honors faculty and administrators, there was an absence of student-focused publications within the NCHC community. Inspired by the experiential education model used by Partners in the Parks, Johnny and Brian saw another opportunity for honors students to engage in experiential learning. Their vision: an international undergraduate journal, peer reviewed and produced for the web by an interdisciplinary community of honors students