[FRIAM] if by 'populism' he meant ...

[Prof David West]

if you ignore the fact that it was written in 1988 and reflects only what I knew then, I will send you a pdf of the appropriate chapter of the dissertation.

davew


On Thu, Dec 24, 2020, at 1:06 PM, glen∉ℂ wrote:
> 
> Excellent! Ignoring your vTAO for a second, I distinguish culture from 
> a psychogenic delusion by its exogenous inputs. Culture, as I imagine 
> it, is *definitely* derived from the actual world, whereas a 
> psychogenic delusion *may* not be.
> 
> On to your vTAO, I like the construction. But to pursue it as a 
> mechanism, I'd want it to talk a bit about the coupling between the 
> layers. E.g. between the core and culture, it seems clear that 
> biological evolution is slower than cultural evolution. (Though with 
> all the new data about microbiomes in our gut, on our skin, etc, as 
> well as epigentics, it's not *that* clear.) That relative rate 
> difference implies a loose coupling. *If* we can say/show that the 
> coupling is *very* loose, such that one layer can have more or fewer 
> degrees of freedom, *then* we might get to psychogenesis. We could also 
> use error or randomness to do that.
> 
> On 12/24/20 9:05 AM, Prof David West wrote:
> > This is not about populism per se, but about your formulations.
> > 
> > The very first post made we wonder how you would differentiate between a mass delusion and culture — other than put them on some kind of continuum or making the first a subset of the latter. None of your subsequent posts dealing with 'mechanisms/formulations' clarified this question.
> > 
> > An alternative mechanism/formulation you might consider: the vTAO or virtual Adaptive Topographic Organism.
> > 
> > You have never heard of this before because it was a model I proposed in my doctoral dissertation and I never had the chance to followup or operationalize the model because I was hired to teach software development.
> > 
> > My problem was how culture affected cognition. The model starts with the Hopfield metaphor of a neural net: raindrops (inputs) falling on a topography (established by connection weights) and being channeled to low points (outputs). The topography was shaped by learning and adjustment of the weights.
> > 
> > I extended this metaphor/model but making connection weights a function of the "constancy" of the inputs; with constancy being a combination of frequency and consistency. A feedback loop was established with the outputs altering the environment and altering the constancy of the inputs.
> > 
> > Trivial example: you paint the inside of your house red (output) and that increases the constancy of receiving 'red' inputs.
> > 
> > The metaphor/model was extended with seven 'layers' of topography: e.g. a core layer where the constancy is established simply by being carbon=based lifeforms, to  culture shaping the gross geographic features, the penultimate layer of habit being akin to watershed, and the final layer being more or less intentional thought / free will / decision making etc.
> > 
> > In my mind's eye I can see how the vTAO is consistent with, supportive of, the mechanisms/formulations in your posts, but that might just be misplaced pride in authorship.
> 
> 
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