Re: sixth sense (and seventh, eighth, ninth...)

" If the trend were to continue at the same rate, we may end up replacing our natural abilities with mechanical substitutes. What a scary thought! Luckily, very little in this world goes as planned or expected. So, while that's a pain in the ___ and we usually complain about it... it may end up saving us. Judith"

While I fully subscribe to your paragraph above, Judith, optimistically judging from what is now timidly happenning in the world, our actions included, in addition to the fact that -luckily- one sided plans are not fully materialized, deliberate actions are being taken in various forms in every corner of the world to reverse the wrong going. Good seeds are bound to grow. To go with that optimistic but not submissive attitude will help.

Ayten

----- Original Message -----

From: Judith Rosen

To: ***

Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 5:34 AM

Subject: Re: sixth sense (and seventh, eighth, ninth...)

Jerry Zhu wrote: "I predict five thousand years or more later no men has hair."

What about women?

(Sorry, I couldn't resist!!!)

Seriously; I have to say that I think there's more to living interaction with self and environment for any organism than just the inner and outer, as you described in your post. Anticipatory Systems Theory posits that living systems possess and utilize encoded information (models) of themselves and their environment that includes aspects of time such that the models generate predictive conditions for what they model, based on present conditions, and this collective capability acts as an anticipatory control system within the organism as a whole. If that's so, then what's "inner" and what's "outer" depends entirely on context.

For example, if something were to shift configuration, the way proteins fold or a developing embryo changes its configuration from a hollow ball of cells to the stage that begins main differentiation... what's inner and what's outer will not be a constant. It will also depend on where you're looking at it from. Each has aspects of the other because it's another one of those "they entail each other" scenarios. In other words, there is no "inner" unless there's "outer".

However, I agree that humanity has become far more dependent on technological systems of systems of systems which we originally created to augment our natural capabilities, but which are now eroding those natural abilities. (There's a "side-effect" for you!) If the trend were to continue at the same rate, we may end up replacing our natural abilities with mechanical substitutes. What a scary thought! Luckily, very little in this world goes as planned or expected. So, while that's a pain in the ___ and we usually complain about it... it may end up saving us.

Judith

----- Original Message -----

From: Jerry Zhu

To: ***

Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 4:11 PM

Subject: Re: [ROSEN] sixth sense (and seventh, eighth, ninth...)

The world animals bring forth has much richer
interactions with their context. I characterize the
world of interaction having inner surface and outer
surface. The inner one is physical one (direct bodily
entanglment with context) such as taking in food,
keeping warm, avoiding danger, having fun etc. The
outer surface is abstract or intellectual one.
Human's can reach to the Moon which monkeys' can only
reach to trees. The larger the world, the more
mechnized the inner surface, the less struggle the
body has to fight with its environment. Human's inner
surface is ever simpler and mechanized. No need for
fur to keep warm, eat cooked food easy for our
stomach, staying indoor, travel with vhiecles. Animals
have to use their own body to fight with the
environment for all these. It is no supprise that
they can escape the tsunami for their bodily
complexity that human has degenerated. I predict five
thousand years or more later no men has hair.

Jerry