Post by jmodglin on Oct 18, 2015 20:16:57 GMT
1. Explain the virtual simulation theory of consciousness
The virtual simulation theory basically states that we have evolved to be at the top of the food chain if you will or as I prefer, the strata of cognitive species, either way the theory states that the ability to have a deep understanding of the effects of our actions before we act them out has given human being the ability to a make better decision than their counterparts who do not have this ability. By being able to put ourselves in a “virtual reality” if you will, using our imagination, gives us the ability to calculate all possible outcomes before we make our final decision, such as in the case of imagining oneself getting beaten up by several street toughs after you turn around and tell them to be quiet in a movie theatre and realizing this is not a prudent decision by playing it out in your mind before you actually tell them to Shut up and go through such a beating thereby avoiding such undesirables outcomes due to our actions. This ability to role play or “daydream” in one’s mind or imagination without the very real empirical results of the act being imagined happening to us but rather happening to our “virtual selves” provides humans not only with the ability to play out one, if this then that, scenario but many scenarios and the possible extrapolations thereof before we actually commit our physical selves to any specific activity or endeavor, is definitely a Darwinian advantage we have over all other species, that seem to act almost completely off of instinct or direct thought to action, as well as a most useful tool in the evolutionary process in general.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it to our genetic survival.
There are many ways in which the brain can trick us such as a mirage or hallucination brought about by deep exhaustion and dehydration, or if reading a long paragraph over and over and then removing the word “of” from the paragraph and your brain will take a shortcut to the dilemma and simply place the word where it feels it should be without the reader noticing. The human brain has evolved many tactics for dealing with such things as stress, fear, frustration, pleasure, pain and the like such as dream scenarios played out in the subconscious while asleep and day dreaming that almost real to word an number placement shortcuts like the example mentioned above. These “tricks” can have huge benefits from helping to keep our physical health by coping with stressful situations through daydreaming or night dreaming, it can also be useful for solving complex problems as the brain will simply place what bits of information it has in such a way that the user of the brain feels as if he has a complete thought and can begin to act with confidence and begin the learning process that is so unique in humans and so valuable to our continued survival.
The virtual simulation theory basically states that we have evolved to be at the top of the food chain if you will or as I prefer, the strata of cognitive species, either way the theory states that the ability to have a deep understanding of the effects of our actions before we act them out has given human being the ability to a make better decision than their counterparts who do not have this ability. By being able to put ourselves in a “virtual reality” if you will, using our imagination, gives us the ability to calculate all possible outcomes before we make our final decision, such as in the case of imagining oneself getting beaten up by several street toughs after you turn around and tell them to be quiet in a movie theatre and realizing this is not a prudent decision by playing it out in your mind before you actually tell them to Shut up and go through such a beating thereby avoiding such undesirables outcomes due to our actions. This ability to role play or “daydream” in one’s mind or imagination without the very real empirical results of the act being imagined happening to us but rather happening to our “virtual selves” provides humans not only with the ability to play out one, if this then that, scenario but many scenarios and the possible extrapolations thereof before we actually commit our physical selves to any specific activity or endeavor, is definitely a Darwinian advantage we have over all other species, that seem to act almost completely off of instinct or direct thought to action, as well as a most useful tool in the evolutionary process in general.
2. How does the brain trick us and for what benefit is it to our genetic survival.
There are many ways in which the brain can trick us such as a mirage or hallucination brought about by deep exhaustion and dehydration, or if reading a long paragraph over and over and then removing the word “of” from the paragraph and your brain will take a shortcut to the dilemma and simply place the word where it feels it should be without the reader noticing. The human brain has evolved many tactics for dealing with such things as stress, fear, frustration, pleasure, pain and the like such as dream scenarios played out in the subconscious while asleep and day dreaming that almost real to word an number placement shortcuts like the example mentioned above. These “tricks” can have huge benefits from helping to keep our physical health by coping with stressful situations through daydreaming or night dreaming, it can also be useful for solving complex problems as the brain will simply place what bits of information it has in such a way that the user of the brain feels as if he has a complete thought and can begin to act with confidence and begin the learning process that is so unique in humans and so valuable to our continued survival.