Download MAPPINGS BETWEEN BRAINS - Wichita State University

Gödel, Escher, Bach:
Brains and Thoughts
BRIDGES: Our questions
Intentionality and Extensionality
How is our (objective)
reality mapped in the
hardware of the brain?
The Brain’s “Ants” (Ed & Sandy)
• At what point do the neurons stop firing during
•
the thought process? What determines the
process? Do the neurons fire just once or do
they continue to take in input and evaluate it
and fire another decision until the decisions are
irrelevant?
Why are the brains neurons able to receive
many inputs at the same time, but only give one
output at a time?
Larger Structures in the Brain
(Scott)
What are the true long term
effects of alcohol on memory
and intelligence?
Location of the Brain Processes
(Ed & Julie)
• Could it be the complexity of the stimuli that
•
determines the need for multiple neuron
activity? Is this a possible conclusion as to why
it seems hard to pin down where the thought
process takes place in the brain?
If mental experiences can be attributed to the
brain, can knowledge and other aspects of
mental life be traced to specific locations inside
the brain?
Mappings between Brains
(Teresa)
IF THINKING DOES TAKE
PLACE IN THE BRAIN,
THEN HOW ARE TWO
BRAINS DIFFERENT FROM
EACH OTHER?
Specificity in Visual Processing
(Olline)
• The lateral geniculate neurons are
triggered only by specific stimuli falling on
specific areas of the retina.
• Once the lateral geniculate neurons are
triggered, in returning to the visual cortex;
if they are hypercomplex cells what
happens next?
A “Grandmother Cell”
(Pete & Scott)
• At what age and when do our brain cells
start deteriorating naturally? Is there any
way to get them back?
• Is our visual cortex responsible for filling
in details of partially hidden objects, or is
that done by another part of the brain?
Funneling into Neural Modules
(DeAnn)
• Why do some images and experiences
stay in the brain longer and more vividly
than others?
• Why do some apparently trivial
conversations seem to stand out and be
remembered forever?
Active Symbols (Anya)
• How can one make sense of neurological
complexes?
• Symbols are the hardware realizations of
concepts. At what point do symbols
become a part of your life?
The Lowly Earthworm
• The number of nerve cells in an animal
like a worm would be measured, I
suppose, in the thousands.
• Look at one individual brain cell and find
the corresponding cell in another
earthworm of the same species.
Classes and Instances (Wendy)
• How do we classify?
• Do cows classify?